The Power of the Sacrifice
by tvdlover247
Summary: With the arrival of a mysterious vampire to Mystic Falls, Elena needs constant rescue from Stefan and Damon. But after the Hybrid Curse goes awry Elena changes in ways that no one can explain, and she finds that she can protect herself when a dangerous foe returns for revenge. Filled with transformation, danger, and strength, Mystic Falls and Elena will never be the same.
1. The Beginning

"What are we doing here Damon?" Elena asked as they got out of the car. Stefan was finally out of the tomb, Elijah had guaranteed that her family was safe, and Katherine was out of the picture- everything she had wanted, yet now all she wanted was a night with Stefan. Was that too much to ask for?

"You said you wanted fun, that's what I'm giving you," Damon replied, "I thought you'd appreciate it more than this!"

"When I said I wanted to have fun, I mean more along the lines of taking a break from having a bunch of evil vampires trying to kill me, not going to the grill. That was fun 3 years ago when I was a freshman, but it's gotten old. Can't we just go home?" she begged, hoping he'd let her make at least one decision after her little Kamikaze mission the other day, but he wasn't buying it for a minute.

"No. We are going to walk into the grill, we are going to get a drink, and we are going to have fun. No 'buts' allowed. Got it?"Damon stated. If it were Stefan, she wouldn't be complaining about this. Good thing he'd left out the fact that Stefan was going to meet them there at 8. Okay, so Damon had told Stefan an hour late to get some time with Elena, it's not like Stefan wouldn't have done the same if their situations had been swapped.

Elena sighed. "Fine. It's not like you could let me make a decision for once in my life," she muttered under her breath. Of course he heard it and smirked; he heard everything that stupid vampire. She knew he was about to make some sarcastic comment, but he couldn't because all of the sudden there was a quiet whimper. If they hadn't been so quiet, she would have missed it (but Damon still would have heard it, of course), but she didn't. She took a quick glance around her searching for the source of the sound, when she heard it again—but louder.

Finally, she found it. The young girl was quietly sobbing in the shadows on the side of the grille. Elena ran over to her with Damon in tow, and knelt down to be at eye level with the girl. It was then that she noticed the horrible gash that had been left in the poor girl's neck. Really? Not even one night without a vampire issue? Elena gently laid her arm on the girl, trying her best not to startle her. It didn't work.

"No, no, please don't, not again! Get away from me, you monster!" the girl cried out, but when she looked up, all she saw were the warm, caring eyes of a brunette-haired girl. "Wh-who are y-you?" she stuttered, still in utter shock.

"Shh, shh, it's okay. My name is Elena Gilbert and this is Damon Salvatore. Are you okay? Do you remember what happened?" Elena asked, trying to get some information out of her without scaring the girl any more.

"I d-don't know…I was at the b-bar and this g-guy came up to me. He was really sexy, so we talked and he agreed to walk me out to my car. B-but when we got outside, his face was all scary, and he threw me against the wall and… he attacked me!" she said bursting into tears again. Elena tried to comfort the girl, but knew it was probably no use. The young girl was already at her breaking point, and she wasn't going to push the interrogation any harder.

Apparently Damon didn't agree with Elena, and he began to question the girl. "Who did this to you?" he asked, hoping to god the vampire hadn't compelled her to forget him, but it seemed that was highly unlikely since she remembered everything about the attack itself.

"Y-yeah, I think he went back in there", she said pointing to the building.

"Could you show him to us if you saw him in there?"

"Yes, I think I could…but he was really scary! What if he recognizes me and tries to kill me?" she whimpered.

"I'll make sure he stays away from you", Damon promised. Elena looked at him and knew he was telling the truth, and was proud of the strides he had taken since first coming to Mystic Falls. But she had to admit, she sure missed being able to slap him across the face whenever he was a jackass, and she didn't have as many chances to do that to the new Damon.

Elena and Damon helped the girl stand, and they walked into the bar together. "Do you recognize him anywhere?" Elena whispered to the girl. She didn't have to wait long for the answer, as the girl started shaking uncontrollably as soon as she looked up at the bar.

"O-over there", she whispered just as quietly, but the man heard her. The vampire's eyes flickered first to the girl, and then to Damon who had already started walking over to him.

But just as quickly as his eyes darted to Damon, they darted back in the direction of the girl, but this time aimed at Elena. She met his eyes, but suddenly wished she hadn't. As soon as their eyes met, Elena couldn't seem to catch her breath. It felt like somebody was sitting on her, and soon she was gasping for just the tiniest breath of air. 'Oh god', she thought, 'I'm in the car again. I can't breathe, why can't I breathe?'

As she started to stagger backwards, she looked back at the man who had since turned away and started on his drink again. The girl they'd found out back was in hysterics, and Damon was running back to Elena's side. Still halfway across the room, she watched him run as she was beginning to pass out from lack of oxygen.

She was screaming in her head, just like she had screamed as the car had flown off the bridge on the night that had changed her entire life. All she could think was that she was going to die. She would never get to tell Damon how much she cared about him, never see Jeremy grow up or Alaric and Jenna's marriage (because let's face it, it was coming sometime). She'd never get to see Bonnie master her powers, or watch Caroline fall in love. But most of all, she would never get to tell Stefan how much she loved him.

All these regrets rushed through her head in those final moments, before everything went black.

* * *

Ok, so this is my first Fan Fiction I've ever written, and I just wanted you to read it before you made any assumptions that it wasn't good because I'm a "newbie"! So I hope you liked it, and tell me if you want me to continue it! Feedback is love, people! So read and review! :)

-kiki :)

btw: who is super psyched about tomorrow's new episode? I AM! :D


	2. Realization

Hey, everybody! I know I told some of you this weekend until I updated, but I figured since I have time now, I'd go ahead and update :) I'll be trying to update maybe twice a week, but no promises! Anyways, I can't even begin to explain how happy I am that you all liked the first chapter! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I hope I can keep your interest!

That being said, I just wanted to clear a few things up before I start this chapter :) first of all, this takes place after season 2 episode 11, By the Light of the moon, but it is not my version of episode 12. Rose is dead from the werewolf bite, Stefan is out of the tomb, Katherine is IN the tomb, and Elijah and Elena made their deal. So at this rate, it's kind of the "in-between" time from the first half of the season and when Klaus comes. Also, Klaus will be in the story probably, but I'm not sure when :) I'm really not a writer, I just wanted to finally put my ideas out there for people to read. So I don't have a plan, and I'm not 10 chapters ahead…I'm just writing as the ideas come to me! So I hope you enjoy the ride, 'cause I know I am!

Also, I had some questions as to why Stefan wasn't in the last chapter when this is a Stelena fic :) I promise that he's going to be in it for most of the story, starting in this chapter! I don't like the idea of Damon and Elena being together (and trust me, there is NO way that's going to happen in this story), but I DO recognize that there's some serious heat between those two, and I'm not going to ignore that. But trust me, Elena and Stefan will be together in the end :) I'm not sure of much in this story, but I am sure of that!

Ok, so enough rambling, here's chapter 2!

* * *

Damon was running as fast as he could without going in vamp speed in front of the entire grille, but he already knew he wasn't going to make it to her in time. The stupid girl from the back was practically hyperventilating, but he really didn't give a damn. All that mattered was that Elena was ok, and it didn't look like she was going to be.

He ran, pushing over tables and chairs, knocking people into walls, and basically making as big of a scene as possible. But he wasn't fast enough.

He saw her fall, and he still had a good 200 feet to run. 'Oh god, please don't let her die. Not after everything we've done to make her safe! Please, please let her be OK!' he thought to himself. He got to her a few seconds later, but it was already too late. She was out cold, and still wasn't breathing.

He tried to do CPR, but he couldn't get her to breathe again. He yelled at one of the onlookers to call Stefan after he yelled out the number, and the man hastily took out his cell phone and dialed. He kept doing CPR, but it was probably doing more hurt that good. What if he broke a rib? It wasn't like he could give her blood, at least not in this room full of people staring down at them. Stefan was going to kill him. Hell, DAMON was going to kill himself if she didn't wake up.

All he could do was hope that the CPR would work, so he kept at it. But then he realized that he could do so much more than hope. He reached around Elena's neck and took off her necklace. Leaning down to her face, he started whispering. "Elena, I know you're out cold, but I need you to breathe. Focus your energy on breathing, please, please", he begged her, but it didn't seem to be doing much.

But then she suddenly gasped, breathing finally. She took a few deep breaths, then her eyelids fluttered open. She gasped again when she saw Damon's face so close to hers and tried to sit up, but he gently pushed her back down.

"D-damon? What's going on?" she asked, still completely unaware of the huge group of people huddled around them. However, the girl they rescued from out back was hard to miss, with her wailing and crying—but the man who had called Stefan was attending to her, also.

"I'd like to know the same thing, Elena. The girl looked at the bar, and I started walking over there. But then I heard you sputtering, and I turn around and you pass out! What the hell was that about?" he questioned, still confused about what had just gone down. But he heard the door open, and Stefan ran in. Of course, always the valiant knight, Saint Stefan, stupid brother, whatever you wanted to call him, he came. Why hadn't Damon told the man to call 911? He'd rather see the paramedics helping Elena than Stefan!

"Elena! Are you okay? Damon, what happened?" Stefan asked, laying a small kiss on Elena's cheek. Looks like confusion was running all around, since neither Damon, Elena, Stefan, nor the screaming girl knew what had really happened.

"I don't know, why don't you ask your girlfriend!"

"Elena?"

"Stefan, I'm okay. Well, I think I am…I don't really know what happened", she said as she was helped up into a sitting position against a wall, "We walked the girl in, and she pointed to the vampire that attacked her at that bar. Damon headed over to him, but he was looking at me. When I met his eyes, I couldn't breathe and, and—oh my god", she mumbled, with a look of pure terror on her face, "He's gone."

Damon and Stefan spun around looking toward the bar. Stefan didn't know what he was looking for, but Damon saw the empty glass and chair where the vampire had been. He was gone.

"Wait, where's the girl we saw, Damon?" Elena asked him, but she already knew the answer. The girl was gone, too.

* * *

So there it is! Chapter two! Where's the vampire that went all witchy on Elena? And where's the girl? Well, they're gone for now, but I can promise you that they will be back soon! And I promised you Stefan, so there was a little bit of him :) He's got a bitter role in the next chapter, but I thought I'd go ahead and bring him in! So, any thoughts, comments? I really hope it was good!

Remember, Feedback is love people, so read and review! I'll make sure to send you a response with answers to any questions, etc.!

-kiki :)

btw: who's super psyched about tonight's episode? I AM! We are down to almost two hours, people!


	3. The Visit

Hi guys! I hope you enjoyed that last chapter, 'cause I had fun writing it :) Not really much to talk about before I start, except I promise that we will find out how the vampire was able to knock Elena out just by meeting her eyes…but not necessarily right now :) And also, who thought that Thursday's episode was awesome? OMG. When Damon started-oh, I don't wanna ruin it for the people that haven't watched it yet, so I'll shut up and start on the new chapter :)

* * *

They were gone. Both of them—the girl, and the vampire. How the heck did she manage to get out of there without somebody noticing the screaming girl had disappeared? Elena was completely dumb-founded, but at the same time felt guilty. Her guess was that the vampire had taken her, but the girl wouldn't have even been there if Elena hadn't made her identify the vampire. The feeling that it was all her fault kept running through her head as Stefan drove her back home. The car was quiet with both of them deep in thought.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when Stefan asked her something. She had been so out of it, she hadn't even heard him until he tried to get her attention.

"Elena? Elena? Are you okay?" he asked, hoping she hadn't gone into shock or something. After the night's events, that was the _last_ thing he needed.

"What? Oh, sorry… Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little confused. How could that vampire make me pass out all the way across the room? I mean, even if he could compel from that far away, I had vervain on!" she mused, not expecting an answer but getting one anyways.

"I'm not sure, Elena. He had to have been pretty powerful to have been able to do that. Are you sure it was him?" Stefan asked.

"Absolutely. As soon as I looked him in the eyes, it was like…well, like I was in the car all over again…" she said, not wanting to go into that any further.

" Well Damon and I will try to find some information about it in Isobel's research. But meanwhile, I want you to go home and rest, okay?"

"Really, Stefan I am fine. I don't need to—"

"Yes you do. You are going to go home, get in bed, and sleep. Got it? And no trying to sneak out of the house, okay? I'm going to put Jeremy on alert."

"Stefan, that's not necessary! Besides, remember what happened last time Jeremy was on babysitting duty? Elijah almost killed me", Elena argued, but to no avail. When they got home, she changed into her pjs, and Stefan watched as she got into bed before he left.

She was going to get up and try to ditch against Stefan's orders when a sudden wave of dizziness came over her. She tried to stand up and focus, but immediately fell back down onto the bed. Calling out to Jeremy, she realized that he had already gone to sleep. What a great baby-sitter he was!

Frantically, she looked around trying to figure out what was going on. But she felt the drowsiness coming, and realized that Stefan must have drugged her to make sure she stayed asleep. 'Was Stefan that desperate for me to sleep that he drugged me? I can't believe it! But…wait. I haven't had anything to eat or drink since lunch, so that's impossible. What the hell is happening to me?' she thought slowly, as drowsiness was starting to pull her under. She fought sleep until she could fight no more, and right before she shut her eyes for the final time, she glanced up. There, she saw a man looming over her. But it wasn't a man. It was the vampire from the grille—and he was in her room.

* * *

Elena woke up to a throbbing head, and then she remembered what had happened last night at the grille. But when she looked at her alarm clock, she realized that it hadn't been last night, it was only 11:30.

She slowly got up and walked through the bathroom to peek into her brother's room. It was dark, and he was already asleep. Jeremy asleep at 11:30 on a Friday night? Was she drunk? He never went to bed before 2am on the weekends. She tip-toed out the door to look downstairs. Pitch black. Jenna was asleep, too? What was going on?

But that was when she remembered. The vampire from the grill had been in her house. Or had it been a dream? Maybe, but for some reason, she highly doubted that. She ran back into her room and closed the door quickly. She grabbed her phone off the nightstand and frantically tried to dial Stefan's number, when the phone suddenly disappeared from her hands. She looked up, and was pushed into the wall, rattling half the house in the process.

There he was. The vampire from the bar that had almost killed the girl, and almost killed Elena. She gasped in terror, but before she could scream for help there was a hand on her mouth.

"Say anything, and your brother won't wake up tomorrow morning, understand?" the vampire warned, knowing Elena's weak spot—her family. She nodded, and he released the grip on her mouth.

"W-who are you? What do you want from me?" she cried quietly, mumbling and stuttering at the same time. She was terrified, both for herself and for her family.

"Why else would I want you? You're the doppelganger. And as for what I want from you, well…_that_ list goes on and on…but this is number one on it", he stated, grinning from ear to ear.

She had a terrible idea that she knew exactly what he wanted from her at the moment, and she realized with horror that she was right. He forced her down onto the bed, and threw her hair out of the way.

"Oh god, please no! Please no!" she begged, but he ignored her. All she could feel was searing pain as he bit down on her slender neck. She'd only felt the pain of having her blood taken unwillingly once by Vicki Donovan, but that was _nothing_ compared to the pain she felt at him practically sucking her dry.

He could hear her begging to stop, to ease the pain, but he was too lost in her blood to notice. He had never tasted anything so good—so….potent. He felt like he was floating on a cloud, but was pulled down when he realized her struggles had ceased.

The pain just wouldn't end, but finally she felt the strings of exhaustion pulling her into unconsciousness as he continued to drink. She knew that she probably wouldn't live to see the next day, so she tried to send messages to all the people she cared about telling them that she loved them, and that she hadn't given up.

But she knew that this wasn't a sci-fi thriller. And as much as the supernatual "myths" had become realities in her life, she knew that telepathy was reserved mainly for Bonnie, her best friend and witch. So all she could do was suffer through the pain and the thoughts of them finding her dead the next day, thinking she had killed herself to save them, until finally it was too much and she blacked out.

* * *

Ok, so I hope you guys like that :) it was pretty fun to write, and can't wait to see what Mystic Falls has in store for us next chapter! Remember, feedback is love, people! So read and review!

-kiki :)


	4. The Day After

Are you ready for this? Well unlike all of my other chapters, I don't have anything to say before I start. So here it is….. chapter 4!

* * *

Her heartbeat grew fainter and fainter as he enjoyed the deliciousness of her blood. It had been a long time since he'd had a taste of doppelganger blood, and he'd forgotten how good it was! But then, he snapped out of it. 'Oh god, she can't die!' he thought, 'I'll be dead if I kill her and we have to wait 500 more years from the doppelganger to show up again!' So he pulled away and ripped his sleeve up. Taking a huge bite out of his wrist, he forced his blood into her mouth. She tried to spit it out at first, but then started drinking it, just like he had done to her just seconds before.

After a while, he pulled away and rolled down his sleeve again, this time to wipe his blood off of her mouth. He stayed and watched her for a few minutes, making sure the blood was working.

Slowly her heartbeat picked up again, and her neck began to heal. He laid her on the floor and changed the sheets, then gently setting her back on them so that it looked like nothing had happened. Just one thing left to do—he took off the necklace and whispered instructions into her ear. Now knowing she would be fine the next day with just a headache as evidence of what he had done, he left out the window and into the night.

* * *

The bright sunlight hit her eyelids, causing searing pain to shoot through her head. Elena groaned, opening her eyes to Jenna, pushing the curtains open. Jenna turned around, and smiled. "Good morning, sleeping beauty! Did you forget to set your alarm clock? Because you already missed 2 hours of school. And would you believe that I got calls from four people in the first hour? One from Stefan, Bonnie, Caroline, and even from Alaric! You've got quite the good friends, kiddo", Jenna laughed.

Elena sat up slowly, head still pounding. "Jenna, did you tell them—"

"Don't worry, I told them that you were sleeping in late. I figured there was a good reason since you normally wake up before the alarm even goes off! Oh, and I called the school and told the you weren't feeling good and would be in later this afternoon if you felt up to it… Do you? I mean, do you feel up to going to school?" Jenna questioned, worried that her niece looked like she was about to keel over.

"Yeah, I think I'll be fine. I just need take an Advil", she said as she tried to stand up, but felt searing pain in her head, and curiously at her neck, "or maybe two, for this stupid migraine."

"Oh, hey I'll go get those for you, just go ahead and get ready. You know what, I'll even get a cup of coffee and a pop-tart ready for you!" Jenna said laughing, not realizing that every word she said made Elena's head throb even more.

Elena fell down on her bed, exasperated and confused. Where had this damn headache come from? She sighed, then got up to take a shower, hoping the hot water would soothe the pain in her head. After wasting a sufficient amount of water, she got out and finished getting ready, taking the two advils Jenna had left on her bedside-table.

Walking down stairs with her head still throbbing, she stalked into the kitchen ignoring Jenna's welcoming smile and grabbed the coffee. She took a sip, and almost wanted to hug Jenna—it had the perfect mix of cream and sugar. She grabbed the pop-tart, said bye to Jenna, and hopped in her car.

She put on a pair of sunglasses she had stored in the glove compartment, and backed out of the driveway. But as soon as she started driving down the road, she had the eerie feeling that she was being watched. She tried to shrugged it off, but the feeling remained.

After a few minutes, she didn't feel like she was being watched anymore, and kept driving in the direction of the school.

He watched her drive down the road, amazed that after everything he'd done to her last night she was even up to walking down the hallway, let alone go to school for 4 hours. He could still feel her blood singing through his veins as he watched her car turn the corner. All he could think was, 'oh boy, is she going to be really confused today when her friends start asking questions. I wish I could be there.' But then again, maybe he could. Smirking, he waltzed off, following her car to its destination.

* * *

Well, what did you think? This chapter wasn't as suspenseful, but I thought it was time to let Jenna come into play… Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, and I can tell you one thing, it is going to be a LONG day for Elena!

-kiki :)

ps: Feedback is love, people! So read and review! oh, and who is super pumped about tonights new episode? Daddy Issues, here we come! :D


	5. Confusion

Hey everybody! I'm sorry for not updating sooner, I know I told some people I'd update twice a week…but with school and music, well, you guys know how it is with these busy schedules! Anyway, who saw last night's episode? I thought it was pretty dang EPIC! My favorite line: "That's not heroic, that's tragic." As much as I love Elena and Stefan, I've gotta say I'm getting sick of their constant break-ups. She just needs to get over her little suicide streak, and realize that not everybody's going to make it through the sacrifice (especially if Tyler's little pack of wolves keep trying to kidnap her and kill Stefan and Damon!)…but anyways! Here's the next chapter, and I hope you like it!

* * *

As Elena pulled into her parking spot, she realized that she'd arrived right in between classes. 'Oh great', she thought, 'I have to deal with a bunch of questions, and this stupid headache won't go away.'

Sure enough, as soon as she got out of the car and started walking towards the office, Caroline and Bonnie walked up with a worried faces.

"Oh my god, Elena! Are you okay? We started to get worried when you didn't show up", Bonnie said, giving her friend a hug, and making Elena's head throb even more.

"Oh Bonnie, I bet she and Stefan just had a long night", Caroline joked, the laughter sending another spasm of pain to Elena's head.

"No, I just overslept. And I have a horrible migraine", Elena complained, sighing at the hopelessness of having a good day at school—since she so rarely came anymore.

"Oooh, well that sucks", Caroline said, hoping to comfort Elena, who was looking paler and paler by the minute.

"Well, I can already tell that this is going to be a great day", Bonnie said sarcastically. But Elena didn't notice, because she saw Stefan walking over towards them.

"Hey, I have to go, guys. See ya next period", Elena said.

She started walking over to Stefan, and he smiled and gave her a hug. He looked keenly at her, like he was trying to see something that wasn't there. "Hey, did you feel like skipping school for the millionth time in the past month?"

"Haha", she laughed, "You would know! You skipped with me", she said grinning, then wincing from the pain it brought to her head.

He saw her wince-probably from her fall the night before-and decided to see if she was okay. "How are you doing after last night?" he asked.

"What are you talking about, Stefan?" Elena replied, bewildered at his odd question, "I was at home studying last night with Bonnie."

"What are _you_ talking about, Elena? You passed out at the grill last night because of some vampire", Stefan stated, starting to worry about her.

"Um, no I didn't, Stefan", she stated, "I was at home all night. I even have the work to prove it." Sure enough, she pulled out her notebook and let Stefan see her notes, beautifully executed without a letter out of place. But that worried him even more—Elena always wrote notes and doodles in her actual notes. He handed the notebook back, and looked intently at her, but decided not to pry and gave up the interrogation.

* * *

As he was beginning to come down from his high off of Elena Gilbert's blood, he settled into a hiding place—perfect for spying on the young girl and her friends. Looking on from the bushes, he saw the young couple and tried to listen into their conversation.

"_How are you doing after last night?" the Salvatore asked._

"_What are you talking about, Stefan? I was at home studying last night with Bonnie."_ He grinned, knowing that his compulsion had worked. Well of course it had! He was an original, for crying out loud! He kept listening intently to their conversation.

"_What are you talking about, Elena? You passed out at the grill last night because of some vampire!"_

"_Um, no I didn't, Stefan. I was at home all night. I even have the work to prove it." _

She pulled out her notebook to show to…Stefan? Yes, Stefan. He got out of his hiding place behind bushes and walked over towards the confused couple. He caught them right before they could go inside, and began speaking to them.

"Hello, my name is Peter. Could you direct me to the front office?"

* * *

OK! I hope that was good :) I'm kind of stuck on what to do next, so it may be a while before I update again :( I hope not, though! Remember people, feedback is love! So read & review!

-kiki :)

Btw, does anybody know if there's a new episode next week? Or do I have to suffer through another hiatus like during season one? :/


	6. The First Meeting

OK everybody :) I hope you like the last chapter! This one is a lot of confusion, compelling, and fluff. But it's necessary fluff, I promise! I had a bit of trouble writing it, but I think it is worth it for the story to continue to be any good :) also, there are some text messages that I had to write in, and I didn't really like the idea of that…but yet again, completely necessary. I bolded and italicized them to make them easier to recognize and put them in brackets to tell when one ends and the next one starts, but I know I personally do not like to read text messages, so I am truly sorry. On the other hand, I want to thank you all soooo much for reviewing! I have thought about stopping a couple of times, but then I get on and people say its wonderful-it's amazing reviewers like you all that make me want to keep writing for! I cannot express how much I appreciate it :) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, and here it is…CHAPTER SIX!

* * *

"_Hello, my name is Peter. Could you direct me to the front office?"_

Elena looked up, and a wave of confusion hit her. She had heard this voice before, and she had seen this man—but where, she didn't know. As her face contorted and her brows scrunched together showing the amount of effort she was exerting to remember, Stefan pointed the front office out to "Peter"

Just as he was about to walk away, Elena grabbed his arm and turned him around—well tried since it was his choice as to whether he wanted to comply or not since he could have thrown her across the courtyard if he wanted to. She gazed deep into his eyes, as if trying to remember something.

"Do I know you?" she asked, knowing for sure that she didn't, but somehow thinking she did.

"No, I don't think so…" Peter replied, lying while keeping his face completely smooth. 'Damn this is fun!' he thought, 'who would've known I could have this much fun confusing a little human.'

Stefan glanced over at the guy that stood before him and Elena. He looked to be at least 18, if not older. So why was he at high school? Stefan knew that something was off about him, but he didn't know what. Then he looked over at Elena, and was instantly concerned. She looked like she was completely baffled by this guy. Normally she would hide any uncertainty and talk about it later with Stefan, Bonnie, or Caroline—but not this time.

"Are you sure? I could've sworn—" Elena began, but Stefan cut her off, worried about her.

"Elena, we have to go to class", Stefan said, practically begging her to let it go and come with him, "It was nice meeting you, Peter."

Peter smiled, and waved goodbye to the couple as he began walking off towards the office. Elena looked off after him, still trying to think of where she had seen this mysterious man before. But she soon realized that Stefan was calling out to her.

"Elena? Elena. Earth to Elena! Hello?" Stefan repeated without any response from her.

"What? Oh, sorry", she said, instantly coming back to life.

"What was that, Elena? Did you know that guy?"

"I…I don't know", Elena stuttered, turning around to look in the direction that the man had walked. Then she looked up at Stefan, and saw that he was just as confused as she was. "Stefan, I'm sorry. I really don't know what came over me back there. He just…I felt like I knew him, but I don't know why. I've never even met the guy."

Stefan looked at her and immediately his confusion turned into concern, because, by the look on her face, he knew she wasn't lying. She did know him, but didn't remember it—almost as if she had been compelled. "Well, let's just try not to freak out the new kid anymore, okay Elena?" He said, trying to laugh it off in hopes that she would calm down.

As they walked Stefan began to contemplate the possibility of Elena being compelled. But no—she had her necklace, which she _never_ took off. He looked over and froze. Her necklace. It was gone. No wonder she had acted like she was compelled—she probably _was_.

They walked off in the direction of History, and Stefan continued to wonder about Elena and Peter. Even though he was deep in thought, he didn't miss the looks that Elena kept throwing over her shoulder as they walked to class.

As soon as they got to class and sat down, Stefan got out his phone and frantically typed a message to Damon.

**_Emergency meeting Alaric's class after school—something's wrong w/ Elena_**

* * *

Peter walked away from the very confused couple, smirking to himself at how well that had gone over. Her little boy-toy was so worried about her, and she was horribly confused. It was just too funny!

Practically laughing at the thought of what had just went down, he walked into the office and looked down at the woman behind the desk. "Hello, my name is Peter, and I'd like to enroll at school", he said, passing his forms to the lady.

She flipped through the papers, then looked up and said, "I'm sorry, sir. But enrollment was during the summer, and you don't have the proper paperwork."

"Well, if you look closely, you'll realize that it is all there. I'm sure you just missed it—and as for enrollment dates, I called and told the principal my situation and he said I would be able to enroll", he stated as he gazed into her eyes and watched her pupils dilate.

"Oh…" the woman said. "Well looky here. I guess I just missed them. Okay, let me just type your information into the computer and get you a schedule. Then you'll be all good to go", she said, smiling from behind her glasses.

"I f you don't mind, I would love to have the same schedule as a certain student. Elena Gilbert?" he said, compelling her again.

"Okay, Mr. Smith. I'm sure we can fit you into her classes", the woman said. She clicked print on the computer, and a new schedule printed out. She handed it to Peter, and told him that it was third period—so he should report directly to History in room 312.

Peter thanked the lady and walked out, grinning to himself and thinking, 'Boy, is Ms. Gilbert in for a surprise.'

* * *

I told you it was fluff, but I needed to put it in there, just to clear up some things before they come up :) but I hope you liked it! Again, I apologize. I wouldn't have put the text messages in if they weren't critical to the story...plus, in this day and age how else would they communicate! :D anyways, remember people! Feedback is love, so read and review!

-kiki :)


	7. Running Away

OK, so this chapter was a bit easier to write, and I hope you like it :) yet again, a few annoying text messages :/ sorry... but enough with that, here is chapter 7, and I hope you love it! :D

* * *

Elena sat at her desk trying to concentrate. But it was hard to focus with her phone going off so much—texts from Bonnie asking if she was still feeling bad, Caroline concerned about her situation with Matt, and Stefan worried about the little incident with the new student in the courtyard. She turned her phone off and sighed, looking up to see that the teacher had moved on to a completely different topic and she hadn't even noticed.

As she flipped through the pages in her textbook, she heard the door open and a kid walked in. He started to talk to Alaric, and when she heard the voice her head snapped up. There he was. Peter—the guy from the courtyard—in her class, walking back towards her grinning almost like Damon when he was up to no good. Her breathing hitched and she tensed when he walked past her, and of course picked the seat right behind her.

Setting his stuff down in the desk, he sat down and leaned forward. "Elena, what a pleasant surprise. Isn't this going to be fun?", he whispered loud enough for her to hear, but not enough for the people around or that stupid, nosy, vampire boyfriend of hers.

He could sense her heartbeat going so fast it could probably rip through her chest and smirked, loving the reaction he pulled out of her.

Elena was absolutely petrified, but she had no clue why. Maybe it was the dangerously suggestive comment he made when he sat down, maybe it was just intuition. But something told her it was more than a feeling. There was really something dangerous about this guy, and she needed to avoid him. But that was going to be pretty difficult since he was _right behind her_.

* * *

Stefan looked on at Elena and Peter as he walked to the back. She stopped breathing as he passed by, and her eyes widened in fear. When he sat down, he whispered something to her—but Stefan couldn't hear. Why the hell couldn't he hear? He was a freaking vampire!

He glanced over at Caroline and Bonnie, and saw them looking just as intent on their best friend, and also just as confused as Stefan. Even Matt stopped paying attention to the lecture and was focused on Elena. He was about to lean over and ask her what was going on, when her hand shot up in the air.

"Yes, Elena?" Alaric asked, looking concerned at the expression she wore on her face.

"I'm not feeling good, can I go to the nurse", Elena said. But she didn't sound sick—she sounded absolutely petrified of this guy she had just met an hour before.

"Um, sure. Go ahead and bring your stuff", Alaric said.

"Thank you", Elena stuttered before picking up her stuff and practically running out of the room. Stefan, Bonnie, Caroline, and Matt's eyes followed Elena as she fled the room. Stefan looked down at his phone, and saw that Damon had finally replied:

**_[What do you mean something's wrong w/ Elena?]_**

_**[Doesn't remember anything from last night, completely freaked out by new guy, and isn't wearing her necklace. Need I say more?]**_

While he waited for the reply, he sat there tensely. He got a text from Caroline asking him what the hell was up with Elena, and Bonnie asking why she had been so scared of the new guy. But it took ten minutes before Damon replied:

_**[New guy? And she isn't wearing her necklace? What the hell happened?]**_

Stefan quickly typed a message back:

_**[Seemed to know him, but didn't remember it—I think she was compelled. She ran out of class scared when he sat behind her b/c she was "sick". Find her and make sure she's OK.]**_

_**[Ok—but why aren't you going after her? Don't wanna miss notes for the test?]**_

_**[No. It would look weird if I just ran out after her in the middle of class. Just find her. Please.]**_

Damon got the last text and realized that he was serious-it wasn't the time for his jack-ass jokes. He quickly sent Stefan an "_**OK**_". He rushed out to his car, and started driving in the direction of Elena's house. He tried to cal]l her phone, but it went straight to voicemail. He automatically thought the worst, and picked up speed hoping he wouldn't get pulled over by Liz since he wouldn't be able to compel his way out of it.

Stefan sat in class, practically clawing his eyes out, waiting for the damn bell to ring so that he could help Damon find Elena. Of course, the one day Stefan decided to go to school they would have an emergency—go figure! But little did they know that this was only the beginning of what was going to be a very long predicament.

* * *

OK, see what I mean by the text messages? They just kind of irk me whenever I read them, but I had to write them in :P but I hope it was good, and as always, feedback is love, people! So read and review! :D

-kiki :)


	8. Comfort

Hey everybody! I hope everybody is doing great :) I'm actually on a week long break right now, so I'm doing great! I've also had some time to write, and will try to get a bunch done before I have to go back to school :) oh, and who watched last night's episode? may I say EPIC? I think that was the best episode this entire season :) or maybe I've just missed it so much since...last week. Anyways, because I thought that episode was absolutely amazing, I'm posting a new chapter tonight! Hope you enjoy it, and here it is, chapter 8! :D

* * *

Damon didn't know where she'd be, but the first place he thought she'd go was home. He rushed out to his car, and started driving in the direction of Elena's house. He tried to call her phone, but it went straight to voicemail. He automatically thought the worst, and picked up speed hoping he wouldn't get pulled over by Liz, since he wouldn't be able to compel his way out of it.

When he finally turned down Maple Street, he drove down to Elena's house. Turning off the car, he hopped out and sped to the front door. He knocked, and a few minutes later Jenna answered it. She glared at him, and said, "What do you want, Damon?"

"Is Elena home?" Damon asked, quickly getting to the point. Jenna glanced upstairs, and when she turned back around Damon saw more concern for Elena than hatred towards him in her eyes.

"Yes, she came home early because she wasn't feeling good. I don't know what happened, but she's pretty broken up."

"Can I go see her? Stefan was worried about her and wanted me to see if she was okay," Damon asked more for himself than his little brother, expecting a response along the lines of 'Hell no, you pedophile'. But surprisingly enough, Jenna simply nodded her head and moved out of the way to let him through. He walked upstairs at an agonizingly slow pace, and as soon as Jenna was out of view he sped to Elena's room.

She was sitting on her window seat quietly sobbing, but when she felt the breeze from him, she turned around. Sure, she'd had prettier days, but Damon had to admit that she was still stunning even with her mascara running down her face. As soon as she saw Damon, she turned back around and a new set of sobs wracked her chest.

Slowly, he walked over and sat across from her on the bench. She turned to look at him, and simply said, "I swear, I'm not crazy."

"I know."

"I'm not, I'm really….you know? What do you mean you know?" she asked. He looked at her, and realized that she truly believed that they thought she was going insane.

"Elena, I know you've been under a lot of stress lately, but you're strong. It would take a hell of a lot more than a bad feeling to make you crack under pressure. Plus, Stefan told me", Damon said like it was the easiest thing in the world. Elena stopped crying and just stared at him. Then a wave of confusion spread over her.

"What do you mean 'Stefan told you'?"

"He said you thought you knew the new guy, but you didn't. Then he realized you didn't have your necklace on. Please tell me you were not stupid enough to take it off on your own—especially with everything that's happening with werewolves and originals and other people kidnapping you."

"What are you talking about, Damon? I would never take my necklace off. It's right—" she said, looking down. But with a loud gasp, she realized that it was gone. Her necklace was gone. "Oh my god", she whispered, "What...? Who…? Where…where's my necklace?" She started to hyperventilate, and Damon reached over to hold her hand.

Slowly her breathing came back to normal, then she looked down at her and Damon's hands. She slipped hers out and she got up and fell down on her bed. Damon looked over at her, but decided to stay where he was. He was here to comfort her, and that wouldn't work if she kicked him out for making a move.

"So this is why I thought Stefan was crazy when he asked about last night. Damon, what happened?" she whispered, scared to hear the answer. But when Damon began to tell her of the events that had played out that night, she just sat back, amazed that she was even alive after what happened at the grill. But something still confused her.

"Why can't I remember any of this?"

"Last night you had a bit of trouble remembering, so I guess when you went to sleep you just…forgot?" Damon said, unsure of what had actually happened. "You don't remember anything from last night?"

"Nothing."

"Okay. Well that's odd, but I don't think it's anything to worry about", Damon replied. He looked down at his phone and realized the time. He was going to be late to the emergency meeting—Stefan was going to kill him! Well, try. Damon could still throw him across the parking lot probably, a lot like he did the night he came back to Mystic Falls—but still, Stefan would be pissed. "Oh shit! Elena, I have to go!" He sped out the window before she could even ask him anything else.

* * *

Well? Did you like it? I hope you did! I figured Damon and Elena should get some time, but like I said—Elena and Stefan will end together :) So don't you worry! Ok, so now that I've ruined the ending for the….fourth time? Something like that… anyways :) remember, feedback is love, people! So read and review!

-kiki :)


	9. Discovering the Truth

Ok, so this is total Stelena time coming up right now! I hope you guys enjoy it, because it's probably the most fun I've had writing this story to date! So here it is… [insert drum-roll here]…...CHAPTER NINE!

* * *

She was going to say something to him, when he was gone. The only evidence that he had even been there was the open window—plus the fact that she could hear his car starting. She sighed, realizing that she was alone again, and that it was almost eight. She walked over to her rug and pulled away the corner. Prying up the loose floorboard, she pulled out her diary and sat back down on the window bench.

_Dear Diary,_

_I'm scared. I have no clue what's happening to me. There's this new guy at school named Peter Smith, and as soon as I met him, I felt like I knew him—even though I've never even met him. But it wasn't really recognition, it was more of an extreme fear of this guy—like he wanted to eat me alive. I was already feeling like crap today, I really didn't need some guy freaking me out._

_So I ran out of Alaric's class (literally), and came straight home and cried. I don't know what made me so upset, maybe it's just all the pressure I've been under. Oh, and to add to that, my necklace is gone. Somebody took it and probably compelled me to do something or—oh god, I don't even want to know._

_Stefan and Damon were worried about me—I'm sure Bonnie and Caroline were too, but I was too scared to notice because Peter sat down right behind me—and Damon even came over and comforted me (probably because Stefan told him to, though) ._

_I'm going to miss that necklace. That was the first thing Stefan ever gave me that showed me how much he cared about me—and now its gone. Not to mention the fact that any vampire could just come and make me do whatever the hell he wants me to. Gosh, I did NOT need this extra stress in my life!_

_Love,_

_Elena_

She closed her diary and looked up, but gasped. "God, Stefan! Don't scare me like that!" she yelped.

"Sorry", he grinned, knowing that she had calmed down a bit since history class. She inched off the bed and reached up to kiss him. Their lips came together softly as she closed her eyes. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he picked her up and laid on the bed. As the kiss escalated and grew more intense, Elena's head was filled with fireworks as she realized just how much she loved him. How was it possible to love somebody as much as she loved Stefan?

The longer the kiss went on, the more passionate it became. As the heat between them grew, Elena forgot about everything that had happened that day and was only able to concentrate on the amazing man holding her. They laid on her bed wrapped up in each other's arms, kissing. After a while, they broke apart, and Elena cuddled up next to Stefan. She turned her head towards him and gazed into his eyes with a look on her face that said she was going to ruin the moment. He just smiled

"You're going to ruin the moment, aren't you?" he asked.

"I'm totally going to ruin the moment", she said as she sat up, grinning. "I know Damon told you everything that happened when he came over today, just like you told him everything", she said, a smile shining brightly on her face.

"Yeah, he told me. For the record, I'm glad he actually listened to me and came and checked on you. You don't even know how worried I was about you—and Caroline and Bonnie want all the details later, by the way", he laughed, so glad that the stress seemed to be over for now.

Elena yawned and thought, 'Wow, I didn't realize how tired I am from all this stress.' She tried to hide it, wanting to just be with Stefan, but nothing fazed him. He chuckled and pulled her back into his arms.

"Elena, you need to go to sleep. You had a pretty long day, after waking up at 1 in the afternoon", Stefan joked. He saw the resistance in her eyes and laughed when she closed her eyes and shook her head. But she was already in her pajamas and laying on her nice warm bed against him. She was out in seconds.

He started to get up, but she grabbed his arm and pulled him back against her. 'Well, I guess she's not as asleep as I thought', Stefan mused. He pulled her close to him, and leaned back on the bed. Even though he was fully dressed, he realized that the stress of the past two days was pushing him to his limits, too, and he fell asleep beside her.

* * *

_It was 11:30. She slowly got up and walked through the house, realizing that everybody was already asleep. Weird, asleep before 12 on a weekend?_

_Then she remembered. She remembered everything, and before she knew it she was running as fast as she could back to her room. She picked up the phone and tried to dial Stefan's number, but the phone disappeared from her hand. _

_She looked up, and there he was. Peter, the vampire that she'd thought she knew, and had tried to intimidate her in class. She gasped in terror, but before she could scream for help there was a hand on her mouth. _

"_Say anything, and your brother won't wake up tomorrow morning, understand?" the vampire warned. She nodded, and he released the grip on her mouth._

"_W-who are you? What do you want from me?" she cried quietly, mumbling and stuttering at the same time._

"_Why else would I want you? You're the doppelganger. And as for what I want from you, well…that list goes on and on…but this is number one on it", he stated, grinning from ear to ear. She knew what he was going to do. _

"_Oh god, please no! Please no!" she begged, but he ignored her. All she could feel was searing pain as he bit down on her slender neck. Her screaming rang through the house. It was a wonder that nobody woke up. She tried to think of Stefan, since she was probably going to die any minute. She dreamed of him calling her name, his beautiful voice making her death almost bearable._

"_Elena….Elena…."_

"Elena! Elena, wake up! It's okay, everything's okay!"

She opened her eyes, but instead of seeing the vampire, she saw Stefan. His eyes were as wide as golf balls, and he was trying to hold her to the bed. Suddenly, she realized that she was still fighting him, and she stopped thrashing. Tears were running down her face, as it finally dawned on her why she had been so scared of him.

"Elena, hey, it's okay. It was just a dream, it wasn't real", Stefan tried to soothe her, but it didn't work very well. She burst out in a downpour of sobs, and he pulled her to him, cradling her from whatever she was scared of.

"N-no."

"What?" Stefan asked, bewildered by her blatant statement.

"No. I-it wasn't a d-dream. It was a memory", she said, sobs still rocking her gentle frame, "It was Peter."

"What was Peter, Elena?"

"It was Peter that stole my necklace and compelled me", she cried, "It was Peter that almost killed me."

* * *

OK…so, my attempt at another epic cliff-hanger! How was it? :) I hope you enjoyed it, because like I said, it was so much fun to write! Also, it was a little difficult to write the kissing scene, so I hope it was okay :) Remember, feedback is love, people! So read and review! :D

-kiki :)


	10. The Explanation

OK, so I hope you enjoyed that last chapter :) I decided it was about time Elena remembered something and stopped being all confused. But now that she's remembered, she's going to be pretty freaked out. There's a bit of action in this chapter, so I hope it sounds good :) here it is, chapter 10!

* * *

"_No. I-it wasn't a d-dream. It was a memory", she said, sobs still rocking her gentle frame, "It was Peter." _

"_What was Peter, Elena?"_

"_It was Peter that stole my necklace and compelled me", she cried, "It was Peter that almost killed me."_

Stefan stared at her. He was too dumb-founded to say anything, but he reached over and grabbed her hand. "Are you sure?" was all that he could say.

"Y-yes. I saw him. He drugged me and made Jeremy and Jenna fall asleep. W-when I woke up, I remembered that I had seen him, so I ran to call you, and…and he grabbed me and threatened to kill them", she said, tears beginning to run down her face again. "Th-then he and bit me..and…and—"

"Hey, it's okay Elena, I'll make sure you're safe. Let me just go call Damon for him to come over here at…2 in the morning", he said, standing up and beginning to walk towards the door. But Elena stopped him.

"NO!" she cried, "D-don't leave me! What If he comes back while you're gone?"

"I'm just stepping outside the door, I'll be right there", he comforted, pointing to her bedroom door.

"You can call him from in here. You don't need to leave." Of course, no matter how scared she was, Elena still managed to exert her authority over anybody in any situation.

"Okay, I'll call him from right here", Stefan assured her as he took out his phone. Quickly, he dialed the number and put the phone up to his ear.

"Hello, little brother. What is it that you and Elena need at this lovely time of day?" Damon said, and Stefan knew that he had a smirk spread across his face without even seeing him.

"Elena remembered why she was so scared of the new guy. You're going to want to get over here. NOW", Stefan emphasized the last word, knowing that he didn't need since Damon would come anyways.

"Okay. I'll be over in ten."

* * *

Elena sat on the window seat watching Damon get out of his car. She was going to tell Stefan he was here but she guessed he already knew, since the minute Damon was out he was in her room looking concerned.

She jumped when he appeared in the room, and he noticed. 'That was weird, she never jumps when I appear out of nowhere', he thought, confused for her sudden jumpiness.

"So what's up? And what was so important that you had to call me at two in the morning for me to come?" Damon asked. But when he turned to look at Elena, he realized just how scared she was from the tears that she had cried after he left.

"Elena had a dream—well, a memory—of the new kid, Peter, when she went to sleep. It turns out, he's not much of a kid anymore."

"I don't understand. What the hell are you talking about? " Damon asked, still completely bewildered by Elena's expression and Stefan's cryptic statement.

"He's a vampire, Damon. And he attacked me last night. Do you understand now?" Elena questioned, obviously pretty pissed off that she had to explain herself. Now it was Damon's turn to stare. He did for a good minute or so, before a very important question popped into his head.

"Has he been invited in?"

"What do you think? He attacked me in my bedroom, so you figure out whether he's been invited in", Elena dared.

"Snippy, much?"

"After what I've been through I'm pretty sure I've earned snippy."

"Okay you two, let's just calm down and think about this", Stefan said, trying to be the mediator.

"Fine. Did he say why he came after you?"

"Yeah, he said I was the doppelganger, and that he had plenty of things he needed me for", she whispered.

"Well I say you stay at our place for a while, until this guy's out of the picture", Damon suggested. But the minute he said it, he wanted to take it back. Elena already had a look of rejection on her face, and he knew that she was not going to make it easy on him for telling her to put her family in danger.

"Are you insane? There is no way I am leaving my family here when there is some sadistic vampire on the loose! What if he came here and didn't find me? He could kill them before they ever blinked!" she raged, hoping he got the message loud and clear.

"Okay, okay! I get it Elena! No leaving this house! " Damon exclaimed, "You know what, you go back to sleep and Stefan and I will go talk downstairs. You look like you haven't slept in days."

"I haven't. He came after me last night, so no sleep then; and look where we are now. So no sleep tonight, either. But there is no way in hell I am going to sleep when this guy is threatening me and my family."

Damon just glared at her and said, "Yes. You are. Get some sleep, Elena. You're going to need it tomorrow."

Elena sighed, defeated. Stefan and Damon walked out into the hallway and closed the door. Stefan shot Damon and angry look and was about to yell at him, when he heard a scream from inside Elena's room. They threw open the door and ran inside, and saw Peter holding her up against the wall trying to bite her again.

Elena was petrified. She had managed to scream as soon as she saw him, but suddenly his hand was on her throat. She could see him moving his face towards her neck as his fangs elongated and veins appeared around his eyes. Tears were streaming down her face, when the door flew open and Stefan and Damon ran in. Stefan ripped Peter off of Elena, and she stumbled to the floor.

Normally, fighting was Damon's forte, but when she looked up, he was just staring at Peter as if he'd seen a ghost. Stefan was strong, but Peter was stronger, throwing Stefan out the window and onto the lawn. She screamed again when Peter ripped into her neck, but this time it was Damon who threw Peter out the window.

She fell to the ground grasping her neck, trying to control the bleeding to no avail. She thought she heard Stefan curse, and then both he and Damon were at her side. As she began to slump over from the blood loss, she could barely feel an arm being brought up to her mouth. At first, she tried to move her mouth away, but it was persistent. She felt the blood running down her throat just before she lost consciousness.

* * *

I hope you all like this chapter :) action scenes aren't really my forte, so if it sounded bad, tell me how to fix it and I'll try to do better next time! Anyway, remember! Feedback is love, people, so read and review! :D

-kiki :)

btw: who saw last night's episode? pretty freaking awesome! I feel so bad for Caroline and Matt, but I'm glad that Jonas and Luka are gone. They were annoying. I have to say, if I were Elena, I would have been a bit more bitchy about Katherine expecting a thankyou after everything she did to Elena! Maybe "thank" her for almost killing her aunt, uncle/dad, and Elena, then "thank" her for actually killing Caroline-but oh well :) anyways, we have 42 freaking days until the next episode, so I might update some more due to the removal of the show for that long :)


	11. Aftermath

Last chapter was a bit more action-y, but this one's going to explain some things :) I hope you enjoy it, because this one was a bit more difficult to write than the others. So here you go, chapter 11! :D

* * *

Peter bit into her warm flesh again. It had been over twenty –four hours since he'd had a taste of the doppelganger. Blood flowed down his throat, and he was again completely awestruck by the deliciousness of her blood. But before he could fully enjoy it, he was ripped off of her neck and thrown out the window—the same way he had thrown her nuisance of a boyfriend out the window not a minute earlier.

He fell on the grass, and before he knew it, he was being held up against a tree by Stefan. But it was almost too easy for Peter to bring his hand up and slap the man away like a fly. He watched as the boy flew across the yard, and then he ran off into the woods.

Automatically, he thought of Elena. He hoped that he hadn't killed her, because then he wouldn't be able to taste delicious blood like hers for another five-hundred years—at least until another doppelganger showed up. He saw Stefan flash back up to the girl's room, and could hear her heartbeat slowing down again from over one thousand feet away.

Peter cursed himself for letting that stupid brother get the best of him. He shouldn't have been able to throw Peter out the window, but Peter had been so caught up in the girl's blood that he hadn't even heard the man come up to him to wrench him away from his prize. 'I swear, he will never do that again to me if I have to rip his heart out myself. He'll never get the opportunity.'

Although Peter knew it had been sheer luck that had allowed the 170-or-so year old vampire to take him by surprise, he also knew that the Salvatores would never again get the chance to take him down.

As he stalked off into the night, Peter thought about the little bit of Elena Gilbert's blood he had tasted, and could still feel it pulsing through his veins—giving him life. He promised that he would have the girl by the end of autumn, if he had to kill her himself. With that, he disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

Eventually, Elena began to be more aware of her surroundings. She was lying on her bed, and she felt somebody holding her hand. Slowly she opened her eyes, and saw Stefan sitting next to her.

"Thank god, you're awake", Stefan exclaimed, "Do you remember anything?" Suddenly, everything came back to her. The dream, the fight, and her almost being killed by Peter. She nodded her head, and winced as pain shot through it.

"You saved me. Both of you. He was going to kill me again. But he didn't…did he?" She asked, suddenly alarmed at how close to death she had really been.

"No, you're fine. I gave you some blood, so you should be okay soon", Stefan explained to her.

"How close was I? To death?" Elena wondered.

"Well, if I hadn't given you the blood as soon as I did, you probably wouldn't be alive right now", he said guiltily. Why did he feel guilty? He saved her life. If Damon and him hadn't come in when they did she would be dead right now.

"He was strong", she stated, "stronger than you. How did you…how did you manage to fight him?"

"He threw me out the window, and I was trying to come back up when I heard you scream—and then Peter was thrown out the window, too", Stefan said. But something in his face still scared her. He looked like he was hiding something from her, and she got worried.

"Is he dead?" she whispered. Stefan looked down at the ground, guilt showing all over his face. 'Oh my god. Oh my god. He's not dead. He's still alive, he's going to kill me. Oh god', she thought, hoping it wasn't true, but knowing it was. That was why Stefan had cursed. He got away. Peter got away. He was still out there, and still hungry for her. Silent tears began to roll down her face, and Stefan scooped her up into a hug.

Sure, they had managed to save her, but she knew for a fact that it had been luck—and it probably wouldn't happen ever again. She thought about how heroic the two brothers had been, but then realized that it was in their nature to protect her. Then she realized that Damon was still in the room, sulking in the corner and generally acting more like the old-Stefan than the new-Damon.

"What's wrong, Damon?" she asked.

"Just thinking, Elena. Did you recognize that man when you first met him?"

"Yeah, isn't that why you came over this afternoon? Because I was freaked out that I knew him, even though I didn't."

"Well, you may not remember him, but I sure as hell do", Damon growled with anger and pure-hatred etched across his face.

"What are you talking about, Damon? And why did you freeze when you saw him in my room?" Elena questioned, beginning to be frightened by the look on his face. Stefan looked up at Damon and was concerned, too. He looked like he wanted to rip the whole house apart brick by brick.

"Because I know him—er, I've seen him before. Elena, do you remember when you passed out at the grill?" he asked, already knowing her answer.

"No."

Damon grimaced, and knew he had to tell her the truth. "Well he's the reason why you don't remember. And he's the reason why you stopped breathing and passed out at the grill. Peter was the vampire that almost killed you that night."

* * *

So Damon finally found out who was at the bar last night. Let's hope that he figures out the truth about Peter—or, the rest of it! But you're going to have to wait to figure that out :) there'll be a lot more danger, action, and rescues to come! So buckle your seat belts, people, and read and review! Feed back is love :)

-kiki :)


	12. Nice to Meet You Again

Hey, everybody!I want to thank you sooo much for reviewing, its really helping me keep going on my stories :) speaking of stories, if you've been reading my other story, "Revenge of the Kat", you would be aware of my extreme withdrawal symptoms I've been experiencing since the beginning of the hiatus a week and a day ago... I've been writing more, so that's good news for you guys, but this dumb five week long break is driving me INSANE! We have 33 more days til the show comes back, and I've barely lasted eight. How will I survive? Anyways, I hope you enjoy chapter 12, so here it is!

_

* * *

_

Elena froze in disbelief. How could it be possible that the same vampire at the grill was the one taunting her at school and trying to kill her at home? She paused and realized the truth—in her life, anything was possible. Hell, a unicorn with rainbow hair could fly into her room right now, and it wouldn't have been as confusing as some of the other things life had thrown at her. "So he tried to kill me twice…"she muttered under her breath, still trying to work through the logistics of everything.

"Twice? Elena, what are you talking about?" Stefan inquired, thinking her dream had been a memory from the grill.

"Once at the grill, and then when I got home last night. Oh—and I guess tonight, too", she stated, utterly shocked that she had seen this guy less than thirty-six hours ago, and he had already tried to kill her three times.

"Wait, your dream was from last night?" Stefan exclaimed. "I thought you remembered what happened at the grill!"

Elena glanced up at the two people staring at her. Damon still looked utterly pissed-off, and Stefan looked concerned and confused—but just as angry as Damon.

"No. He drugged me, I think. Then when I woke up, he attacked me", she whimpered, tears beginning to drip down her face again. Stefan pulled her into a hug, and brought her face up to his.

"It's okay, Elena. We aren't going to let him get away with this again. We'll stay over tonight, to make sure he doesn't come back. You're going to be okay, everything will be fine", Stefan comforted, and after a while he could feel the upset girl in his arms start to calm down. After a few minutes, she was completely calm, and when he looked down she was fast asleep.

"What the hell are we going to do?" Damon asked.

"I don't know. That guy threw me half-way across the yard with the flick of a wrist—I don't have any idea how we're supposed to stop him."

The two brothers glanced at each other, and then at the exhausted Elena. Worry was etched all over her beautiful face, even in sleep, and they silently vowed that the days of danger were going to come to an end soon. With that, Damon told Stefan he'd patrol the house, threw a worried look towards Elena, and hopped out the window—wishing in his head that it was him holding her, and not his little brother.

* * *

As rays of sunshine hit her face, Stefan could feel Elena begin to stir out of her deep-sleep. He had stayed all night, watching her to make sure that bastard didn't come back to hurt her. Damon had checked in a few times to make sure she was doing okay, but she was fast-asleep every time. As he gazed at her, she yawned and slowly opened her eyes.

"Good morning", he said, smiling just a bit at her. She didn't look as worried as she had last night when she finally passed out from sleep-deprivation.

"Good morning", she agreed happily. But fear, concern, and confusion began to creep back over her features. "Did he come back?" she shakily asked.

"No, he didn't. I think he's going to play it cool now that we know who he really is", Stefan assured her. She seemed to calm down, but suddenly a gust of wind blew through the open window and she jumped as if she had been electrocuted. When she realized it was just Damon, she began to relax and sighed.

"So, how did our girl sleep last night?" Damon inquired, trying to bring some lightness to the currently-tense room.

"Let's just say I've had better nights", Elena stated, yawning again. She started to stand up to start getting ready, but as soon as she did the world started to swim before her eyes. She put a hand to her head, but could already feel herself falling swaying when Stefan caught her.

"Woah, maybe we should take it a bit slower", he suggested as his concern grew.

"Stefan, if I miss another day of school I could get in serious trouble."

"Oh yeah, I'd be pretty scared of a social worker, too, when I have an evil vampire trying to kill me whenever I turn around", Damon joked—receiving a glare from Stefan and a pillow in his face from Elena. Stefan helped her get out of bed, and when he was sure she could walk without passing out, he agreed to leave so that she could get ready. Damon jumped out the window, and Stefan was about to follow when he turned to her again.

"I'll be back to pick you up in about an hour, okay? We'll stay around your house to make sure Peter doesn't try anything", Stefan assured her. Elena nodded, and walked into the bathroom to get take a hot shower.

* * *

An hour and a half later, Stefan and Elena arrived at school. Helping her out of the car, she smiled at him.

"Stefan, I promise I'm fine. I'm feeling much better", Elena assured him. She grabbed her bag and closed the door. When she turned around, he was right in front of her, and she smiled. Standing on her toes, they kissed quickly. But Stefan could tell that she was scared, even if she wouldn't admit it.

They started walking towards the school, weaving in and out of kids. A few freshmen bumped into them and scrambled off after apologizing. She saw a kid lighting up under the tree in the front, and a few kids studying on the front table. She glanced over and saw Tyler and Matt throwing a football—in the exact spot where Tyler had tried to hit Stefan with one just a few weeks earlier.

It seemed like just another ordinary day at school. But when Stefan and Elena walked inside, a young girl ran into them and tried to mumble something under her breath. The girl looked up at the couple, but her eyes immediately went straight to Elena and she gasped, wide-eyed and shocked.

Stefan was confused, and when he looked down, he saw that Elena was too. She had never met the girl, but she looked at Elena as if they were related—like she had known her all her life.

"Oh-oh my god", the girl stuttered, "You—you're the girl from the grill—the one that tried to help me."

* * *

So, pretty cool :) I decided it was time for our mystery girl to make her re-entrance into the story :) you'll find out who exactly she is next chapter, and what she remembers from the night at the grill. As always, feedback is love, people :) so read and review!

-kiki :)

ps: is it April yet? :(

_Damon grimaced, and knew he had to tell her the truth. "Well he's the reason why you don't remember. And he's the reason why you stopped breathing and passed out at the grill. Peter was the vampire that almost killed you that night."_


	13. Information Overload

Hey everybody! Are you all still having TVD withdrawals? I am :/ I was stupid enough to look up spoilers for the next few episodes, and it sounds like they're going to be quite the rollercoaster! I'm not gonna tell you about them, cuz I know some people don't want to hear them, but its going to be great! Anyways, I hope you liked the last chapter, and I hope you like this chapter! So here it is, chapter 13!

* * *

"_Oh-oh my god", the girl stuttered, "You—you're the girl from the grill—the one that tried to help me."_

Elena looked even more confused when the girl said that they had met at the grill. She was sure that she had never met this girl before. "Um, I think you have me confused with someone else…Sorry", Elena said, hoping the girl would walk away—but she didn't

"Oh, great. You tried to save my life and you don't even remember", the girl said, looking as if she was about to burst into tears, "Am I THAT un-memorable?" Stefan had no clue what was going on, but the pieces started to come together. He looked down at Elena, who was still looking as confused as ever, and realized that Peter must have erased the girl from her memory, also. Stefan was about to explain when the same realization came over Elena.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry! I, I don't really remember anything from that night", she said guiltily, and then went on; "Do you know what that man was? The one that attacked you?"

The girl nodded and replied shakily, "Vampire". Stefan looked surprised, and then noticed the bandage on the side of the girl's neck. Funny, he should have been able to smell the blood. But then he thought, 'Wait, she was attacked two nights ago. It's obviously been cleaned—which means I couldn't have smelled it.'

"Okay, well he erased my memory…" Elena tried to explain, "So I can't remember you, or him, or anything from that night. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm doing a little better. But I'm scared to go anywhere alone… I'm afraid he'll come back to get me…" the girl whimpered, and Elena looked pitiable for her. Stefan could recognize the look coming over her face before she could even speak. And when she did, Stefan knew exactly what she was going to say to the girl.

"How about you meet me here after school. We'll go over to my house, and I'll help you through everything", Elena suggested, and the girl quickly agreed as she ran off to class. Stefan looked down at Elena as they walked through the hallway.

He had never been more proud of Elena—the girl that had lost her parents and had been kidnapped and on the brink of death more times in the last month than most people had been in their entire lives. She had almost died last night, but instead of worrying about herself, she was worried about this girl that she didn't even remember. He smiled as he dropped her off at her first period class, and looked in to notice that her personal stalker seemed to be absent.

* * *

Elena left class as soon as the bell rang. She'd had to explain everything to Bonnie and Caroline during lunch, and Alaric had asked if she was okay. She had said yes, and the truth was that she was fine. Peter hadn't been at school that day, so she didn't have to worry about getting killed or anything else he decided to do to her.

After kissing Stefan goodbye and assuring him that she would be fine to go home, she walked to the door that she had agreed to meet the girl at. As soon as the girl walked up, Elena led her to her car. They got in, and she pulled out of the lot onto the road.

"So, what's your name?" Elena asked, embarrassed that she hadn't asked earlier.

"Aria, and you're Elena Gilbert—you're practically famous in Mystic Falls", she giggled. The two girls kept talking until they arrived at Elena's house. Elena introduced Aria to Jenna and Jeremy, and grabbed a snack. She sprinkled a bit of vervain in the drink just in case Aria needed to be able to resist Peter again, stirring it with a wooden spoon before leaving it on the plate with the snack.

The two girls then walked upstairs to Elena's room and sat on the rug in front of her bed, and they got to know each other a bit. Aria had moved to town three years ago from Georgia, and had no siblings. Her mom raised her, because her dad had abandoned them when she was born. She loved animals, and she had two dogs, a cat, and too many fish to count. She was a junior, and loved tennis and taking hikes in the woods behind her house. But eventually the two got down to business.

"So, do you know if he's come back since the night at the grill?" Elena asked Aria, watching to see any signs of compulsion. Stefan and Damon had been able to figure it out quickly, she just hoped she'd be able to also after everything she'd seen.

"No, he hasn't. He was just so scary….I would have remembered if he'd attacked me again, right?" Ariaasked, sounding uncertain.

"Well, that's the thing. Vampires are able to control human minds by compelling them…" Elena tried to explain, but quickly finished the sentence when Aria's eyes grew to the size of the teacup she was drinking from. "But if you have this herb called vervain, they can't. I, um, I put some into your tea when I was making it. Now he won't be able to compel you—if he didn't already."

"Oh, thanks", Aria replied, still looking worried from the new information she had just discovered.

"No problem, I'll give you some more before you leave. The vervain in the tea should last a day or two, but you can also get a locket and put some into it—that will work to keep him out of your head. That's what my locket's for", she said, showing the girl the necklace Stefan had given her at his first football game—the same one that Damon had killed Mr. Tanner at.

"Ok, I have a bracelet I can put it in", she said smiling, "I'm so glad that he didn't hurt you. When you passed out at the grill, I was so scared. Then… then I was at home. I don't remember anything in between."

"Actually…he followed me home that night", Elena muttered, "He attacked me, then wiped my memory of the entire night. I only remembered when I dreamt his attack two nights ago. He came to school and freaked me out, and then he tried to attack me last night, too. But Stefan and his brother saved me before he could kill me."

"But how did you heal so fast?" she exclaimed. Elena explained the powers of vampire blood, leaving out the fact that her boy friend, his brother, and her best friend were all vampires. Then Aria thought about _exactly_ what Elena had said.

"HE WAS AT SCHOOL?" she screamed, absolutely terrified. Elena lifted up her untouched cup of tea, and started to stir some more sugar in with the spoon off the tray.

"Yes. He was in my last period class, and I didn't remember who he was until—". Elena tried to finish, but suddenly there was a hand on her and Aria's throats. Being unable to scream, she looked into her assaulter's face, and realized with terror that she had been wrong. She was definitely _not_ going to be fine at home that night.

* * *

Hmmm :) who do you think their assaulter is? I hope you liked it, and remember! Feedback is love, so read and review :)

-kiki :)

ps: guess how many days until April 7th! 30 :/ well, hey. that's only one month, unlike the Christmas hiatus...Guess I can't complain too much :P


	14. The Return

Hey everybody! I've gotten some great reviews for the last chapter, and I wanted to thank all of you! I didn't get a chance to reply to most of them because my week has been super stressful, so I'm sorry :( but maybe I can make it up to you! Here's the next chapter, and I hope you like it!

* * *

"_Yes. He was in my last period class, and I didn't remember who he was until—". Elena tried to finish, but suddenly there was a hand on her and Aria's throats. Being unable to scream, she looked into her assaulter's face, and realized with terror that she had been wrong. She was definitely __not__ going to be fine at home that night._

The two girls struggled as much as they could, but to no avail. "You will not scream. Do you understand?" Peter attempted to compel them, not realizing that they had been drinking vervain all afternoon. Elena had put some in her tea that morning, and Aria was chock full of it from _her_ tea. Elena automatically agreed, trying to sound as lifeless and monotonous as possible, and hoping that the vampire would fall for it. But Aria did not catch on to Elena's ploy and struggled even harder when she thought that the one person who knew how to stop Peter had been silenced.

Peter growled at Aria, and she whimpered as he started to lean in towards her throat. Elena knew she had to do something, but didn't know what. Stefan and Damon weren't there to save her, and Jeremy and Jenna were completely clueless downstairs. So she did the only thing she knew how to do.

"WAIT! Don't hurt her, please. I'm the one you want, take me, not her", Elena begged, hoping to death that he would fall for it and lunge for her instead. Aria was already crying, but she cried even more when she heard the girl she barely knew offer herself up to a hungry vampire to save her life.

"Oh, I'll get to both of you. But, Miss Gilbert, you are much more delicious than this one", Peter smirked, and sure enough, he leaned in towards Elena's neck instead. Thinking he had given her no other choice than to save the girl, he laid his lips on her neck, loving the shiver he sent through her body.

But just before he was going to take the bite, he felt a sharp pain shoot through his chest. Immediately releasing the girls, he shot to the other side of the room. He looked down to see a broken spoon shoved into his torso, just below his heart.

As soon as he had released them, Elena darted to her bedside table and screamed at Aria to run. Quickly typing in Stefan's speed-dial, she yelled at the phone, hoping that he would answer.

"Elena? Is everyth—" Stefan begun before he was cut off by Elena yelling into the phone.

"HE'S HERE STEFAN! HELP!" She dropped the phone and ran to her bag to get a dart of vervain, but when she turned around to look towards the window, Peter was gone. There was a slight breeze blowing through the open window, and Aria was still shaking in the room.

"I thought I told you to run downstairs", Elena breathed, still feeling the adrenaline rushing through her veins, and thanking to god that Peter hadn't gotten to taste any of it. Then she realized that the Aria was absolutely petrified.

"Hey, it's okay. He's gone. Stefan's going to be over here any minute, and then we'll bring you home. You're safe", Elena tried to comfort her, but soon realized that it wasn't working very well.

"Wh-why would I be safe with your boyfriend?" Aria stuttered, "what makes him strong enough to save us from th-that thing?"

"Because, I'm a vampire, too", Stefan grimaced as he sped into the room. Elena stood up to kiss him, and explained everything that had happened. Aria just stared in shock, from what had happened and the fact that the man that was supposed to protect her was just like Peter.

"I stabbed him…with a wooden spoon", Elena said, almost laughing at the stupidity of that comment. Stefan raised an eyebrow, and chuckled. Aria was calmed down and all three were sitting on Elena's bed.

"A spoon? Of all the objects I've seen that kill a vampire, a wooden spoon is probably the most unique", he laughed.

Elena smiled, and then added in another one: "What about the number two pencils I almost killed that other stalker-vampire last month? He would've gone down, too! Well, if I would have aimed for the heart instead of his hand!" she giggled. Looking at the clock, she realized that it was almost nine o'clock. "Oh, Aria, we need to get you home! Don't worry, he hasn't been invited in. You'll be safe". Elena assured her. Aria nodded, and all three walked down to Elena's car.

* * *

The ride to Aria's house was silent, and they dropped her off with a few "goodbye's". Elena pulled out of the driveway, and started down the street.

Stefan had never been more proud of her, but he was still worried that Peter would come back for seconds tonight. Instead of letting her turn back down her street, he told her to head to his house. She knew that he was worried about her and Peter, and truth be told she was scared to death. But she put on a good face and assured him that she could handle herself. Of course, he didn't accept that and told her to go to his house again, anyways.

* * *

After a few minutes of driving, she pulled into the Salvatore's long driveway. Stefan opened the car door for her and after getting out, they walked into the house. They sat down on the couch in the living room just seconds before Damon walked in.

"Okay, what happened? Stefan gets a frantic call and runs off without even being able to tell me what the hell is going on", Damon griped.

"Peter came back to Elena's house. The girl from the bar was there, and he jumped into the window and tried to kill them", Stefan explained.

"And you're alive how?" Damon questioned Elena, who seemed to be looking more and more tired as the conversation went on.

"I stabbed him with a wooden spoon", Elena stated. Damon laughed, thinking she was joking, but soon realized that she was being completely serious. He tried to question her more, but eventually the time periods in between each blink became shorter and shorter, and both brothers realized that she was about to fall asleep. Stefan carried her up to his room and laid her in bed, then crawled in right next to her. After kissing the exhausted girl on the forehead, he began to feel the stresses of the week pulling him into sleep, and finally gave in.

* * *

She woke up in Stefan's room the next morning, thanking to god that it was Saturday. She got out of bed, realizing that she was all alone in his cluttered room in her clothes from the day before. She grabbed one of the outfits she left in his room and changed, then walked downstairs.

* * *

How was it? We know that the girl from the grill's name is Aria, but if there is an "Alyss" or a "Harmony" anywhere in there, sorry :) I had originally named her Alyss, but decided that it didn't work and changed it to Harmony, but didn't like that either and changed her name to Aria...I love her in Pretty Little Liars :P Also, not sure about the timeline, so if there's an inconsistency, sorry :) Anyways, I hope you liked it :D And as always, feedback is love :) so read and review!

-kiki :)

btw: 26 more days :D


	15. Timeout

hey, guys :) I hope you liked the last chapter! I got some SUPER encouraging reviews, and I'm so thankful to all of you! The last chapter was a bit more intense than this one's going to be, but it'll be funny :) anyways, I hope you all enjoy it, so here it is! CHAPTER 15!

* * *

The boys were arguing again. Elena hated it when they argued, since whenever they did something normally ended up broken. Just like always, they were bickering about how to keep her safe, this time from Peter. Stefan thought that she should stay with Caroline, since Peter hadn't been invited in and couldn't be, and Caroline could protect Elena from him. Damon said that she should stay at the boarding house, because they could protect her better than Barbie.

She hated it when they talked about her like she wasn't in the room listening to every word they said. She tried to cut in a few times and voice her side of the argument, but every time she tried, they would cut her off and continue on the conversation without her.

Elena threw her hands up in frustration and let out a loud sigh that managed to distract the brothers from yelling at each other. She was so stressed about everything she couldn't think straight. The sacrifice, doppelgangers, originals, stalkers, the list just went on and on.

She flopped down on the couch and sighed again, closing her eyes. Stefan and Damon had begun talking strategy for their upcoming plan again, when Elena was suddenly fed up with everything. "I can't do this. I just….I can't take all of this stress."

The brothers looked at her during her little outbreak, concerned about one—her safety—and two—her sanity. But even with their concerned stares, she kept going on. "I need….I need…." She stumbled, trying to figure out what it was exactly that she needed, when it hit her.

She grinned incredulously, and looked straight at Damon. He looked back, confused, when she finished her thought, knowing that only Damon would be able to understand and catch on to her plan: "I need a time-out."

Turning on her heel, she began to walk out of the room when she looked over her shoulder. Stefan still looked confused, but Damon looked as though he was going to burst out laughing at any minute. With a smirk on his face and a gleam in his eye, he let out a light chuckle when he looked at Stefan's confusion—which was written all over his face.

"I'm leaving for a time-out. Anybody that decides that they're coming, my car leaves in five." And with that, she walked out of the boarding house and to her car. The brothers turned to look at each other, still slightly in shock from Elena's little outburst.

Stefan, still confused, asked, "What does she mean she needs a 'time-out'?"

Damon laughed, and answered, "You'll see", as he followed Elena's lead and exited the house.

Stefan looked in the direction of the door and followed closely behind, unknowing of what he had just officially signed up for. After locking the door to the house, he walked to the car and hopped in the front seat next to Elena, thankful that for once Damon had decided to take the back. Stefan looked over at Elena, who was still grinning from ear to ear, and decided that she needed a break, no matter what it entailed, and that he would be there to enjoy it with her.

Damon leaned forward between the two-lovebirds in the front seat and asked Elena the question that had been on everybody's mind since she decided to take another time-out trip: "So, where to, Miss Gilbert?"

Elena glanced over her shoulder and smiled, then replied simply, "Wherever the road takes us, Damon. Wherever the road takes us."

* * *

"So what exactly is a timeout?" Stefan inquired as the passed by the Mystic Falls sign, heading out of town.

Elena giggled, being sure to keep her eyes on the road, and began to explain, "Well, I'm sure you remember when Damon kidnapped me and brought me to Atlanta", she started, "When I woke up, I practically had a panic attack. But Damon stopped me and told me to take a step back from life. He made me take a 'time-out', as he called it, and to have one night with no regrets. So that's what we're doing. I mean, sure Damon had alterior motives for our trip—namely Katherine—, but our motive is just to take a step back."

Stefan looked questioningly back at his brother, then to Elena. "Okay, I see what you're saying, but Elena we need to talk about what is going to happen with Peter", Stefan pleaded, trying to convince Elena that this wasn't the best time and that they needed to turn around.

"Ah, ah, ah Stefan. This may be just a fun break from life, but there _are_ rules that have to be followed", Elena interjected, "Damon? Care to tell him the rules?"

"First of all, everything from Mystic Falls stays in Mystic Falls. Elena managed to forget about our bitchy doppelganger, vampire ex-girlfriend for a day, so you can chill with all the brooding crap. Number two, alcohol is a requirement—the drunker the better." At this rule, Stefan looked surprised at Elena, who turned to glare at Damon—who wasn't done yet. "Oh, and number three—probably the most important rule—try not to get killed."

Stefan's eyes widened, and he exclaimed, "What the hell do you mean 'try not to get killed'?"

"It ends up Damon pissed off more people than just you when he murdered Lexi. I had to save him from getting killed by her boyfriend", Elena explained, "And since I've got a vampire stalker and have pretty much been handed a death sentence, I think it's a pretty good rule."

* * *

As the car passed by trees and towns, the trio began to relax. By the end of the drive, they were singing along to the radio, listening to all of the oldies from the 80's and 90's. At four in the afternoon, after driving for over 6 hours in no particular direction, they ended up in a bar 20 minutes outside of Nashville.

Elena was excited, Damon was ready for some alcohol, and Stefan was nervous. Elena looked over at her boyfriend and slipped her hand into his. He glanced over at her, and she gave him a reassuring look as they walked into the bar, unknowing of the horrible change in plans that destiny had for the group that night.

* * *

so...how was is? I really liked the "time-out" from first season, so I decided it was time for another one :) next chapter is gonna be pretty cool, you won't actually see most of the timeout, you'll just know that they had it and what they did...maybe I'll do a "deleted scenes" section or something :} anyways, I hope you guys liked it, and as always :) feedback is love, people! So read and review :)

-kiki :)

btw: only 23 more days until "Know thy Enemy"-according to my new iPod app, "Days Until" :) it's pretty helpful, and you can count down to any day you want! Like, the end of the vampire diaries hiatus :D


	16. Back to Reality

Hey everybody! So do you like the idea of another timeout? I hope so, because I had no clue how to write about it...so I didn't. sorry :/ but if you guys really wanna see them the timeout, I'll write it as a "deleted scene" the end :) do you want me to? if not, I won't-but if you do, I will :) just message me or write it in a review! so enough about that! just because they're on a timeout doesn't mean everybody else is :P so you just KNOW that someone's gonna screw it up. this IS the Vampire Diaries, people :) it's kind of a given that something bad always screws up something good :( but that's what makes the show so freaking good, and so frustrating! so here it is, one of the few happy moments screwed up by one of the many "not-so-happy" moments! chapter 16 :D

* * *

They walked into the bar, and immediately Elena was reminded of her and Damon's trip to Atlanta. Sure, it wasn't Bree's Bar, but it had the same vibe. Brick walls, bar in the back, and a few pool tables littered around the room. She leaned over towards Stefan and whispered, "Do you remember when I told you that you'd see more of the old me when we first met? Well I'm finally going to take you up on that promise—you're going to see the old-Elena, not the girl that lost her parents last spring", Elena promised.

Stefan smiled at her, but still looked a bit anxious. "Stefan, I promise that everything's going to be fine. Just relax and go get a drink", she told him, bopping he would be able to spend the night just having fun. But soon she realized that neither boy was going to make the first move of the timeout, so Elena decided to.

She walked over to the bar and sat down. The bartender walked over and looked suspiciously at her. "You sure you're old enough to be gettin' a drink?" he asked, his country accent so thick Elena could barely understand a word of it. But she got the jist, and pushed further.

Looking up through her thick lashes, she tried to sound as Katherine-esc as possible. "Oh, I'm sure you could make an exception…for me?" the man blinked a few times and stared at her, star-struck, and Elena knew that she'd gotten through to him.

"Uh, um, sure, I guess… What'll it be?"

"Three beers, please", she smiled sweetly as the man went back to grab them out of the fridge. He handed them to her, and walked back to the brothers who were staring at her like she was, well, Katherine. She grinned and raised her eyebrows as she handed the beers to Stefan and Damon.

"Well that was a bitch-move if I've ever seen one", Damon exclaimed, "Didn't think you had it in you—unless you're Katherine, because that's definitely something she would have done!"

"Come on, Damon. You know that Katherine would've just compelled the guy to walk out back for a bite, not seduced him into giving her three free beers."

"Well, are we gonna go have fun, or just sit here for the rest of the night comparing Elena to Katherine?" Stefan joked. Damon and Elena looked at him, surprised that he actually seemed to accept and embrace what was going to happen tonight.

"Sure, so who is going to let me kick their ass at pool first?" Elena joked, knowing that they would both jump to accept—and sure enough, they did. They grabbed a few pool cues and set the balls up. Elena broke, and got three balls in after one shot. The game went on from there.

* * *

Sure enough, Elena did end up winning the game, and after two more beers, three drinking games (which she won, to Stefan's surprise), and three pool wins later, it was eleven o'clock. When Elena realized this, she decided it was time to call it a night.

"Hey, I think it's time to go, I'm going to go start the car", Elena told Stefan, who had enjoyed the night as much as she and Damon after that first drink.

"Oh come on, Elena! It's only eleven; we can stay so much longer!" Damon pleaded, having over heard the young couple's conversation.

"No matter how drunk I am, I know that we've got to get back home. A timeout only lasts for a night, anyways, right? Well, the night's old and it's time to go. I'm going to go start the car", Elena argued. She had called Jenna to tell her she was over at Bonnie's after telling Bonnie and Caroline the truth about where she was. But she knew that they had to get back to the real world eventually, so she put her foot down about leaving.

"I'll walk out with you—"Stefan began to offer, but Elena cut him off.

"I'll be fine, Stefan. Just come to the car after you're done with your drink, and we'll go." With that, Elena grabbed her bag and walked out the door into the parking lot.

Her car had been parked all the way in the back of the lot earlier that afternoon, so she had to walk through the nearly empty parking lot to get to it. She passed by an old Toyota with a dented side and horrible paint job, and a Mercedes that looked brand new. Finally she saw her red mini-cooper in the back by the woods. There were no lights, and Elena suddenly had a horrible feeling wash through her.

Looking over her shoulder, she grabbed her cell phone out of her bag and her keys in her other hand. That's when she heard it, a light footstep behind her. But when she turned around to look, there was nobody there. Suddenly sobered up, she tried to convince herself that she was overreacting: 'Elena, it was nothing. You're drunk, and you've been freaked out by Peter—nothing more', hoping she wasn't lying to herself, but having the feeling that she wasn't.

She picked up her pace, and got a tighter grip on her keys as she started to dial Stefan's number on her phone. She felt the light breeze behind her, and hoped to god that it was just the wind. Any normal person would've assumed that it was the wind, but Elena was as far from normal as she could get. She spun around on her heel and realized with terror that she had been right. Peter was right behind her; he had followed her all the way from Mystic Falls, and no one had ever known.

She opened her mouth to scream, but Peter clasped his hand over her mouth before any sound could come out. Her keys and phone dropped to the ground, and the vampire ripped her purse away from her as he moved behind her again, one arm constricted around her waist and the other still clamped over her mouth. She screamed for Stefan into his hand as he talked, "You know, you really pissed me off when you stabbed me yesterday. I may have been nice then, but I will not do the same now. So stop struggling and come, that way nobody gets hurt."

But Elena was a stubborn one, and she struggled even harder when he said this, even as his arms restricted her even more. She was kicking and screaming harder than she had ever struggled, and when he released his arm from her it barely registered. Suddenly, she felt a sharp sting in her arm, and her vision began to blur.

As the drug began to pull her under, her struggles began to cease. Her vision grew blurrier and blurrier as she felt herself being picked up by her attacker. He carried her to the new Mercedes and shoved her into the back. The last thing she saw before she blacked out was Peter slamming the door to the car, before getting in the front seat and driving off into the darkness.

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so, did you all like it? I told you their happy times wouldn't last long! sucks for them, but it makes for a really interesting story [I hope!] :) anyways, please give me some feedback, people :) I could really use some comments! I've already got the next few chapters written, and the "Peter" chapter is almost over...for now :} muahaha! anyways, remember! feedback is love, so read&review!

-kiki :)

btw: only 20 days left! urg, this break is so much worse than the hiatus from hell this time last year!


	17. Not Again!

Hey, everybody :) I hope you liked the last chapter, it was pretty fun to write! Like I said, if anybody wants the scenes from the timeout, I'll do it then end in a "deleted scenes" section :) Anyways, I hope this one's just as good, so here you go! Chapter 17 :)

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_

_She opened her mouth to scream, but Peter clasped his hand over her mouth before any sound could come out. Her keys and phone dropped to the ground, and the vampire ripped her purse away from her as he moved behind her again, one arm constricted around her waist and the other still clamped over her mouth. She screamed for Stefan into his hand as he talked, "You know, you really pissed me off when you stabbed me yesterday. I may have been nice then, but I will not do the same now. So stop struggling and come, that way nobody gets hurt."_

_But Elena was a stubborn one, and she struggled even harder when he said this, even as his arms restricted her even more. She was kicking and screaming harder than she had ever struggled, and when he released his arm from her it barely registered. Suddenly, she felt a sharp sting in her arm, and her vision began to blur. As the drug began to pull her under, her struggles began to cease. Her vision grew blurrier and blurrier as she felt herself being picked up by her attacker. He carried her to the new Mercedes and shoved her into the back. The last thing she saw before she blacked out was Peter slamming the door to the car, before getting in the front seat and driving off into the darkness._

Stefan and Damon walked out of the bar, joking and getting along like most brothers do. Stefan looked towards the back of the lot where the car was parked, and noticed that the lights weren't on. "Didn't Elena say she was going to go start the car?" Stefan asked, puzzled, worry growing in him the closer they got to the car.

Damon stopped walking, and looked up. "Maybe she's just sitting in the car?" he suggested, knowing how stupid it sounded.

"I don't think so", Stefan muttered as he sped towards the car. Damon was close behind him, and almost slammed into him when Stefan stopped cold in his tracks. "What the hell, Stefan?" Damon exclaimed, then looked down at what Stefan was gazing at—Elena's purse. "Oh, shit…" Damon mumbled, watching as Stefan leaned down to pick up the bag.

He dumped out the contents, looking for one thing in particular. Brush, lotion, wallet, nail-file—it was all in there, everything except her keys. Damon realized this at the same time and began to look around for them, but found her phone, instead. It was about ten feet away from the purse, turned off with a huge crack running down the screen. Damon pressed the power button, and waited for the phone to turn on.

Once the phone had powered on, Damon realized there was one missed call and a message on voicemail. He dialed, hoping to find out who had kidnapped her, and discovered the culprit. "Stefan, you're gonna want to hear this", Damon yelled to his brother, who was trying to hotwire the car to no avail. Stefan ran over to Damon and listened to Peter's message.

"_I have taken your precious Elena. I hope you said your goodbyes, because you're never going to see her again. If you try to find us, I will drain her dry before you can even lay a hand on her."_

Stefan threw the phone across the parking lot, and it hit the old Toyota with a crash and a series of sparks. Under normal circumstances, Stefan would have been sorry for hurting the car, but what was one more scratch on that old piece of junk? And besides, these sure as hell weren't any normal circumstances. He looked up at his brother, who was looking as worried and pissed off as he was, and simply said, "We've got to save her."

Her eyes fluttered open. Elena felt like every part of her body weighed one-thousand tons. Her head was spinning, and she couldn't see straight. 'Where the hell am I?' she thought, then it all came back to her in a flood of memories. The alcohol, the parking lot, the breeze, Peter, and the needle. She gasped and tried to sit up, but realized that her arms were tied behind her back.

She looked around the room frantically, trying to figure out where she was. There were two queen-beds, a TV, a desk, and a few lamps. Everything was very monotonous—a boring shade of beige—and she guessed that she was in a hotel of some sorts. She was tied up in the corner of the room on what appeared to be a couch, and realized that there was a window right next to her.

She knew that she needed to get out of the room and figure out where she was if she wanted to survive, but the ropes were tied too tight. Struggling to loosen them, she fell off the couch and pain instantly shot through her entire body. 'Dumb-ass drugs! How the hell did Jeremy find them fun?' she thought as she tried to stand up. Her legs were shaky, and with no hands to help pull her up, she fell down almost immediately.

Giving up on that venture, looked around the room for something that might help her out of the ropes. With a small grin, she noticed a knife on the bedside table—the only issue was how to get to it. She pulled herself onto her knees, and inched over to the table. Getting up onto the bed to steady herself, she grabbed the knife and began an attempt at cutting away the ropes.

Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed her and shoved her into the wall with the knife at her throat. She managed to get a strangled scream out before she realized that she had a good reason to scream. Peter was glaring at her, totally vamped-out. "You will _not_ try anything like that again", he growled, thinking that she was being compelled, "You will behave, and will not scream—no matter what I do to you. Do you understand?"

Again, she feigned compelling with a monotonous "I understand", and he immediately removed the knife from her neck and let his face return to normal, still holding on to her with an iron grip. He leaned in towards her neck, smelled her throat, and closed his eyes as if he were in complete bliss.

"I'm sorry I had to drug you", he said sincerely, his voice softening, "but how can I have my fun if you tried to run? I couldn't have you running back to the arms of that idiot, now could I?" Tears began to roll down Elena's face as she realized she would probably never see Stefan again. "Oh, don't be sad, my pet. We'll have tons of fun! Well…I will", he promised, only making her more upset. 'If she's this upset now, wait until she sees what's in store for the rest of the night', he thought evilly to himself, 'There's no way she is going to survive.'

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So, we see a bit of a softer side to Peter. Well, as soft as an evil, kidnapping vampire can be :) I hope you liked it, and as always! Feedback is love, people-so read and review!

-kiki :)

btw: 17 more days left :P


	18. Seduction & Location

Hey everybody :) I hope you liked that last chapter! I'm sorry I didn't have time to respond to all of the reviews, but I'm soooo thankful for them! I hope that this chapter makes up for it :) So here it is, chapter 18!

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"_I'm sorry I had to drug you", he said sincerely, his voice softening, "but how can I have my fun if you tried to run? I couldn't have you running back to the arms of that idiot, now could I?" Tears began to roll down Elena's face as she realized she would probably never see Stefan again. "Oh, don't be sad, my pet. We'll have tons of fun! Well…I will", he promised, only making her more upset. 'If she's this upset now, wait until she sees what's in store for the rest of the night', he thought evilly to himself, 'There's no way she is going to survive.'_

Peter looked at the sobbing girl and laid her under him on the bed. He kissed her gently on the lips, tasting the salt from her tears. She gasped, petrified, but it granted him entrance into her mouth. He deepened the kiss, and every time she tried to pull away he would just pull her closer. "Finally, we can be together without any distractions", he whispered into her mouth. But he quickly tired of this, and took it further.

He began trailing light kisses down her jaw to her neck. Laying a long kiss on her throbbing pulse, he trailed down further, kissing the skin on her chest not covered up by her blouse. Slowing, he reached his hands up and began to unbutton her shirt, and she squirmed underneath him, trying frantically to get away.

But he would have none of it. Soon, her shirt was off and she was laying under him in her jeans and silky pink bra. Tears ran down her face, but she was numb. She closed her eyes and imagined it was Stefan instead of this jackass. Peter gave open-mouthed kisses to her breasts—the parts left uncovered by the undergarment. Slowly, his kisses began growing more and more frantic, and Elena could sense what was about to happen. Instead of kisses, his touches became nibbles as he bit the flesh of her chest, leaving small marks as he went.

The dull-tooth kisses became sharper and sharper as he worked his way back up to her neck. When he hit the location of her vein, instead of laying a kiss like he had on his way down, the veins grew around his eyes and his fangs elongated as he bit down viciously onto her throat. She let out a tortured gasp as the tears flowed freely down her face.

He drank in her life's essence as if it were a fine wine—aged for hundreds of years. Elena wanted more than anything in the world to stake him, but had nothing handy. And if she had, she would have blown her cover—so when Stefan and Damon came to get her she would probably already be dead. So she endured the pain of having her blood sucked out against her will, unable to fight or scream.

After an agonizingly long amount of time, he pulled away and sat up. Slowly getting off the bed, he walked through the room and out the door, leaving Elena on the bed in a daze from the drugs and blood-loss. Her blood had been just as delicious as the last time he had taken it, and it was made even more delicious by her inability to fight or call for help. He thought to himself as he walked down the hallway of the hotel, 'Oh, is this going to be fun." He exited the building without so much as a look back, thinking that the girl would not be able to leave. Boy, was he wrong.

* * *

"Damn it, Bonnie! Pick up! PICK UP!" Stefan yelled into the phone as Damon drove down the road in the old Toyota they had compelled from its owner. Stefan had been unable to hotwire Elena's car—Peter having swiped the keys to prevent them from leaving—and it gave him another reason to hate the cars of the twenty-first century.

It was midnight, and Stefan hoped to god that Bonnie was still awake. He had been trying to get a hold of her for over twenty minutes, knowing that she was their only chance of finding Elena. After having the phone ring eight times, Bonnie finally picked up. He heard a laugh in the background, and it sounded like… Jeremy? If he hadn't been so worried he probably would have thought about that a bit longer, but didn't have the time or energy.

"Haha, shutup!" Bonnie giggled in the background, "Hey, Stefan. What's up?"

"Bonnie, I need you to do a locator spell for Elena NOW", Stefan said urgently.

"Wait, what happened?" Bonnie said frantically, realizing that this was serious, "Where's Elena?"

"She was kidnapped by that jack-ass of a vampire, Peter, tonight. We just need you to figure out where she is so we can go rescue her", Damon yelled at the now upset witch.

"Okay, it'll take me a few minutes to get the supplies, but I'll call back in a minute with a location", Bonnie promised, then hung up on the boys. She turned around to Jeremy, who had been barraging her with questions since her mood change on the phone.

"What the hell is going on, Bonnie?" Jeremy asked.

"Elena's been kidnapped. Again. I have to do a locator spell for her—go get me a knife from the kitchen while I get a few things", Bonnie commanded. Jeremy dashed down the stairs and came up a minute later with the knife, and noticed that Bonnie had grabbed a map, candle, and the grimoire. But along with that, she had a picture of Elena that she had in her hands when he ran through the door.

"What's that for?" he asked regarding the picture.

"I can try to get a general location for her if I hold this and focus, then we can get a more exact location on the map. Who knows if Peter brought her to an old mansion in the middle of nowhere this time?" Bonnie held the picture and thought of Elena, trying to figure out where she was. Suddenly she got an image.

_Peter was walking out of a huge hotel. He walked up to the valet, and the man went to grab his huge Mercedes SUV. A few minutes later, he brought the car up to the vampire, and wiped something off of his shirt._

"I know where they are", Bonnie stated, "The Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville."

"How do you know?" Jeremy asked, thinking it odd that she hadn't even had to do a spell.

"I saw an image of Peter walking out of a building and picking up his car…the valet had on a polo with the name 'Gaylord Opryland' in the corner. That's where they are." She picked up the phone and quickly dialed Stefan's number. He picked up before the phone even rang.

"The Gaylord Opryland Hotel", Bonnie relayed.

"What? He brought her there?" Stefan asked, knowing how big that hotel was.

"Yeah, I saw a vision of him picking up a Mercedes, and the valet's shirt had that name on it."

"Thanks, Bonnie. We'll call you when we've got her safe and sound."

"Okay, bye. Oh! And Stefan?" Bonnie said questioningly

"Yeah, Bonnie?"

"Be careful. Elena said that he threw you out a window last time. So just…don't get yourself killed, okay?" Bonnie told him.

"We can't, Bonnie. It's against the rules." And with that, he hung up as Damon and him drove off towards Nashville, to save the love of their lives.

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I hope you guys liked it! I was kind of out of my element during Peter & Elena's scene, so tell me anything I could do better, or anything you liked! It all helps in the long run :) We're almost done w/ the Peter chapter :) so its gonna be a wild ride for the next couple of chapters :) But I still have PLENTY to write, so this story isn't ending anytime soon! Anyways, feedback is love people, so read & review!

-kiki :)

btw: only 13 more days until "Know thy Enemy"! That's less than two weeks, people :D who's excited?


	19. The End

Hey everybody! I hope you liked the last chapter :) I'm so appreciative of all your reviews, but I had a research paper due in my Lit class, so I didn't have time to answer all of them :( But I love you all sooo much for reviewing! This chapter is mostly action, so tell me how it was after you read it :) this is pretty much the end of the Peter chapter for now, so enjoy it while it lasts! here it is, chapter nineteen! :D

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Elena laid on the bed in a daze. She could feel a slight trickle of blood down her neck where Peter had bitten her, and she brought a hand up to stifle the bleeding. After realizing that she needed to clean up the bite, she stumbled off the bed to the bathroom, discovering that the vampire had accidentally cut the ropes binding her hands behind her back during his attack.

She grabbed a plush white towel off the shelf in the bathroom and pressed it against her neck, wincing in pain when it touched the broken skin. After holding it there for a few minutes, she dampened the towel and proceeded to clean the wound. There were no bandages for her to cover it up with, so she just left the bite out in the open, hoping that she would be saved before he could do even more damage.

Turning off the light, she walked back into the room and put her shirt back on, meanwhile looking around for any hint as to where Peter had brought her. There was a notebook on the table that had a symbol that looked like a G with a sun on it. When she opened it, she noticed the name "Gaylord Opryland", and put two and two together. Opryland…the Grand Ole Opry? As in she was still in Nashville?

She gasped, realizing that Stefan and Damon were probably looking for her, and she had no way to contact them without Peter knowing, unless she called them while he was gone. Like, right now. She hobbled over to the phone, still wincing a bit as the bite mark stretched, and picked it up—she just had to get her fingers to dial the number. She typed in a 9, then a 1, then a 9 again. Five, two, one, then four, seven, eight, six. Her hand traveled over to the "Call" button, which would dial as soon as she pressed it, but the phone was tugged out of her hands and smashed into the wall, breaking into a million pieces.

Already knowing that Peter was here by his extreme act, she tried to scream before he bit into her neck, sufficiently silencing her. Pushed up against the wall, there was nothing to grab that could allow her to force him off of her, so she just endured the agony as Peter had his fun. He pulled back covered in her blood, and hissed, "I leave for ten minutes, and you try to break free? I thought I told you not to fight!"

Elena whimpered, but instead of taking pity on her like he had last time, he growled and lunged for the other side of her throat. She screamed, knowing that her secret had obviously been revealed, hoping that somebody would hear her. Suddenly, the door to the room flew open, and there stood Stefan and Damon.

* * *

Stefan had heard Elena's screams from all the way across the building, and automatically began running towards them with Damon close on his tail. Sure enough, when he got to the room where the screams were, he threw open the door to see Peter holding Elena up against the wall drinking her blood. The vampire ripped off of her neck and craned his head to see the two brothers headed towards him. But when Stefan and Damon were about to grab him and stake him, he was gone.

Elena was leaning against the wall, looking like she was about to pass out—which was understandable due to the state she was in. She had bite marks all over her torso, which meant she had probably lost a lot of blood in addition to the blood that was dripping down her neck, soaking her shirt in a bright crimson.

Damon turned away quickly, unable to stand looking at how much Peter had hurt her—but Stefan stared at her. Damon was worried that he would hurt her even more, but when he looked at Stefan's face it wasn't a look of hunger, it was a look of anger and hatred directed towards Peter. Finally, Damon turned back to the drooping girl.

"Elena, it's going to be okay. We've got you, and Peter isn't going to get near you again", Stefan was assuring her, when suddenly her eyes grew huge. Her mouth opened and closed, as if she was trying to warn them of something, when suddenly Damon grunted and collapsed to show a very pissed off Peter. Elena scurried to Damon while Peter shoved Stefan into the wall.

Looking over Damon's body to figure out what Peter had done to him, she saw the needle stuck in his back—vervain. She tried to shake him awake, but she was too weak from the blood-loss and he was too far gone. Then she saw the stake next to him, and was reaching for it when Peter grabbed her from behind. He bit down on her arm, and she screamed—finally able to make a sound again.

Stefan shoved into the vampire at full speed, sending Elena whirling back to the floor near Damon. He grabbed Peter in a choke hold, and reached down to grab his stake out of his pocket. He looked down for a second when he couldn't locate it, and suddenly HE was the one being held against the wall by Peter. Stefan struggled to get a hold of Peter, but he was stronger and faster than Stefan.

"You come in here trying to take my toy, and think I won't fight back? That's was pretty damn stupid of you. And now, you and your brother are going to die for it—and Miss Gilbert soon after", Peter threatened, laughing when pure hatred came over Stefan's face.

Stefan continued to struggle, but Peter was so much stronger than him. He glanced down at Damon who was still out cold, and realized that Elena was gone. 'Thank god. At least she might make it out alive', Stefan thought. He looked down as Peter's other hand moved down to his pocket, and began to struggle even harder when he realized that Peter had a stake—_Stefan's_ stake.

"Any last words?" Peter smirked.

"Yeah—go to hell."

Peter grinned and was prepared to shove the stake through Stefan's heart, when he realized that it wasn't Stefan that had said it. But he realized that much too late, when he felt the stake being shoved through _his_ heart. He gasped in pain, and turned slowly to reveal a very weak and angry Elena who was breathing as heavily as Peter.

Peter's face began getting greyer and grayer, and the veins of death began to spread throughout his body. His hold weakened on Stefan's throat, until he fell to the ground—dead.

"Stefan…", Elena breathed. Stefan looked up at Elena, and realized that her moment of semi-strength was clearly over. Elena was covered in blood, bites, and bruises, and her eyes fluttered closed and she collapsed into his arms, knowing that she was finally safe from Peter.

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Yep :) Who saw that one coming? Well, you don't need to answer that one :P but that is the official end of Peter...maybe :} I'm NOT finished with the story yet-on the contrary, I'm barely halfway done :D I have so many great ideas, and they're only just beginning to come out in the story :) I really hope you liked the last installment of our psycho-vampire stalker :D I'll try to update soon, and as always, feedback is love, people! So read and review!

-kiki :)

btw: OHMYGOD! WE ARE DOWN TO SINGLE DIGITS, PEOPLE :D AND AS OF TOMORROW, THERE IS ONE WEEK UNTIL THIS HELLATUS IS OVER!


	20. Welcome Back

Hey everybody! I'm so sorry I haven't updated sooner, but school got pretty hectic, and then I went out of town for spring break :) I just got back yesterday night, so I decided I ought to update for the first time in a week :P So that was the official end of the "Peter Chapter"...kind of. You'll see what I mean in a little while :) There are some things I want to clear up before I get started, though! First of all, we're taking a bit of a jump in the timeline. Elijah is now in the basement/jail cell/cellar/dungeon thing in the boarding house, Bonnie's lost her powers and regained them, Isobel and John are back, and Katherine is out of the tomb. But just because we've added some characters from their little vacation doesn't mean they'll be showing up in the story for a while. They'll come in every now and then, but not all the time :) I know it's a bit annoying to have a timeline jump, but it's just impossible for me to write as if we're in episode 11 when we've moved forward to episode 17-so I'm truly sorry :) but I hope I can make up for it in this chapter! btw: the italics at the beginning sybolize Elena's dream. So when it's in italics its a dream, and when it goes back to normal, Elena has come back to the real world. So enough blabbering, here's chapter 20! Enjoy :)

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_She was running through a forest. She didn't know why, or from what. All she knew was that she had to get out of there—if she didn't, she was as good as dead. _

_Suddenly, there was a clearing up ahead, a huge circle of trees. The full moon was shining down through the branches, illuminating the clearing in an eery glow. She picked up speed, thinking that she would be safe when she got into the moonlight. _

_She burst through the leaves into the center, and frantically looked for any source of safety, when a pair of hands slammed down on her shoulders and spun her around. With horror, she realized that she was looking into the eyes of a killer—__her__ killer—Klaus. Her eyes widened in fear, but before she could scream, the face shifted and took on different characteristics altogether. _

_Most people would have been relieved that the monster was gone—but not Elena. She was now looking into the face of a vampire that scared her even more. His cruel eyes gazed into hers as if he were trying to drill through her skull, and his lips curled into a horrifying smile—fangs and all. She knew that she was on the brink of death as she looked up at her captors face. The face that smirked down at her was Peter._

Elena's eyes shot open as her body wrenched itself off the couch. Breathing heavily, she looked around the room blindly before she could notice the intense pain shooting through her body. Suddenly, it all came back to her. The bar, Peter, his attack, and his death—and she whispered to herself: "He's dead…he's really dead."

"Elena? You're awake", she heard from behind her, and spun around to see the source. Stefan was walking into the room, but when he saw her face he sped to her side. She jumped, her eyes wide open, and he reached an arm up to steady her. "Hey, it's okay. Just lay back down, you're safe", Stefan assured her.

"W-where are we?" she asked, still unable to see properly.

"The boarding house", Stefan answered, obviously concerned about her.

"Is he…he's dead, right? I-I killed him…." Elena stumbled over her words as she laid back down on the couch. She vaguely noticed the fire burning in the fire place across from her as Stefan replied.

"Yeah, he's dead, and he won't be coming back to hurt you ever again—I promise. Now, are you okay?" Stefan whispered, gazing into her frightened eyes.

"Define 'okay'…" Elena mumbled

"How do you feel?"

"My head is pounding, my entire body is aching", Elena said, then glancing at the window, she felt more pain shoot through her head when her eyes came into contact with the sunlight, and finished, "and it would be great if you shut those curtains, because my eyes are killing me."

Stefan chuckled, and raced over to shut them. Within seconds, he was back by her side. "I didn't give you any blood—you've already had too much the past couple of days, and we were afraid you might start to transition…So your, um, bite marks are going to have to heal on their own", he explained.

"Oh great. I guess it's back to turtlenecks and scarves in the middle of spring for me", she joked lightly, amazed that she had just woken up after almost being killed by an evil vampire. Stefan laughed, then leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. When he pulled back, he couldn't help but notice the single tear that had begun to run down her beautiful face. He was just about to wipe it away, when Damon walked in with a glass of scotch.

"Looks like our little damsel in distress woke up finally!" Damon joked, half-heartedly, and emptied his glass in one swallow.

"Damsel in distress? You'd be dead if I hadn't staked Peter. But I guess you wouldn't remember that since you passed out—did you drink a little too much, Damon? I should've known the timeout was a bad idea!" Elena shot back at him. He glared back at her, and went over to pour some more alcohol.

"Well who's the one that's been passed out for over 18 hours? Oh yeah, that would be you!" he countered, and laughed as her eyes grew bigger.

"Eig-eighteen hours?" she stuttered, "Oh my god! School—I can't miss anymore school!" Elena frantically tried to get up, stumbling as her sense of balance spun all over the place. Stefan grabbed her seconds before she fell over, and led her over towards the couch again. He laid down with her, and wrapped his arms around her as he kissed her again—trying to calm her down.

"Elena, Jenna called the school and told them you were sick. It's fine—everything's been handled."

"No, no! I-I promised Caroline I would call her when I got back—where's my phone?" Elena gasped as she began to hyperventilate. Stefan looked away, and she could see guilt written all over his face. "Stefan? Where's my phone?"

"It kind of broke", he answered, and she could practically hear Damon laughing in her head.

"What do you mean 'kind of'?"

"I threw it against a car..."

"Then we stole the car", Damon added, smirking when Elena's frantic face twisted in confusion. "Don't look so judgy. We simply suggested to the owner that he let us have his car—it's not like he lost much. It was a piece of shit."

"Well, where's my car?" Elena wondered.

"We found the keys in the hotel room Peter kept you in", Stefan answered, frowning when he saw Elena wince at the mention of Peter's name, "And Jeremy and Bonnie offered to drive down to get it."

Elena smiled at the mention of her brother and best friend. She'd been a little bit freaked out when Bonnie had confronted her, but she knew that they would be fine. Relaxing into Stefan, she began to feel waves of drowsiness come over her again, and before she knew it she fell back asleep. The last thing she remembered was Stefan stroking her hair and promising that he would never let Peter get to her again.

* * *

A few hours later, it was dark outside. Elena was still at Stefan's, since the boys wanted to keep an eye on her to make sure she was going to be okay. The moon was new—so the night sky was pitch dark with not a star in the sky.

Across town, Aria was in her house getting ready to leave. She'd begun to feel more and more comfortable after Stefan had called to tell her that Peter was finally dead earlier that morning. With her new-found sense of safety, she decided to take a walk alone in her neighborhood. She lived in the part of town furthest out in the woods, and thus made sure to grab a flashlight—just in case the street lights stopped working (which they often did).

Quickly writing a note to her mom and leaving it on the counter, she left the house with her flashlight and her cell phone.

* * *

_Damn_. That's all he could think as he realized that he was buried underground. He had let the doppelganger and her boyfriends get the best of him. He was an original, for crying out loud! How did that happen?

He used his super-strength to quickly burst through the soil to the clear night air, and reached behind himself. Bracing himself, he yanked the stake out that had been so expertly lodged in his heart, and grimaced as he felt the wound closing back up. She thought she'd won. She thought he was gone. Boy, was she wrong.

* * *

Aria was walking along the road, almost home, when she heard a noise. She glanced into the trees, but was only met with darkness. She stopped dead in her tracks under a light-post, and squinted into the forest to see what had made the noise. "Is anybody there?" she asked, worry growing in her stomach.

A strong gust blew from behind her, blowing her long, dark hair around her face—making her look like a dark angel. She spun on her heel, and tried to take a step towards the dark, when she ran into something. Her head shot up towards her barrier, and before she could even scream, she felt Peter's fangs pierce the skin on her neck.

Black spots began to blind her as she felt the life being drained out of her. The pain was almost unbearable, and she was almost thankful when her consciousness finally slipped away. Stefan had been wrong. Peter was still alive, and he was back—and angrier than ever.

* * *

So, do you see what I mean by the Peter chapter kind of being over? He's still alive and will still play a major part in the story, but we're moving on to the next chapter in the story arc-and I'm not going to tell you what that is, because that would totally give away the surprise! :) The next few chapters are going to be pretty angst-filled, so I hope you guys are ready for some major emotional breakdowns! Anyways, I hope you all liked this chapter :) and as always, feedback is love, people! so read & review!

-kiki :)

btw: .GOD. KNOW THY ENEMY IS ON _TOMORROW_. WHO'S SUPER-FRIGGING EXCITED? :D


	21. Getting Back to Normal

Hey guys! Thanks for all the great reviews, I really appreciate them! I hope you liked the last chapter :) I really liked writing it and the next few chapters, they were pretty fun! So I hope you like them, and here's chapter 21!

* * *

_Beep….._

_Beep….._

_Beep…_

Elena kept hearing this stupid sound in her dream. At first it had just seemed odd, then annoying. But when she finally opened her eyes, she realized that it was her alarm clock. Stretching her arms out, she yawned and shifted to the other side of the bed, realizing that she wasn't alone.

"Good morning", Stefan smiled at her. He'd finally let her go home after 2 days of sitting on the couch at his house. It was Wednesday, so she'd only missed two days of school—which wasn't that bad if you thought about how many times she'd been kidnapped, attacked, or plotting with the gang. She knew that today was the day she had to face classes again—but she knew it would be easier, since she didn't have a murderous vampire sitting right behind her in every single class. Although Stefan and Damon had allowed her to go home, she still had to be chaperoned by Stefan, just so that he made sure she was doing okay—not that she complained about having him there all the time!

It felt like they'd been sitting in bed for a few minutes, but when she looked up, she realized that it had been more like 45 minutes. She gasped and darted out of bed, only stumbling a bit as the world spun in front of her eyes. Stefan sat up, and laughed as he saw her run to the closet to find something.

Quickly taking off her cami, she sighed at her reflection in the full length mirror on her door. There were so many bit marks that had yet to heal—she looked as bad as Caroline when she was with Damon. Stefan looked at her with pity, and she said to his reflection in the mirror, "Do you know how long it's going to take me to find something to cover these up? I don't even think I have a long-sleeve shirt out, anymore."

He watched as she searched frantically through her closet for something to cover up Peter's damage, and then got up to get ready himself. He'd left a change of clothes under the sink in the bathroom, and as he was changing he heard her yell. Running out in only jeans, he realized that it hadn't been a yell of terror—it had been one of victory. She looked over at him and grinned. "You know, you make it awfully hard to keep me from being arrested for truancy", she joked, "I'm fine, Stefan. Sorry I freaked you out—now go change!"

Stefan laughed and walked back into the bathroom, and when he came out she was dressed in jeans and sandals, and had one of the t-shirts on with her bomber jacket and a scarf over it.

"Well, I've gotta say, you make it pretty hard for me to want to go to school, too", Stefan laughed.

Elena laughed in response, and then her face grew serious. "Does it look okay? Are they all covered?" she asked. She was still pretty freaked out by the whole incident—and knew that everybody was waiting for her to crack under all of the pressure on her.

"You look beautiful", he assured her, "and you can't see a single mark."

"Good", she smiled, then walked over to him. She reached up and laced her fingers through his hair as he laid his hands on her hips. Reaching up on her toes, she placed her lips against his. The kiss was gentle, but filled with the passion that they had been holding back since Nashville. They stayed like that for a while, and when she pulled away, her eyes were full of love. "I couldn't have done this without you, Stefan. And I don't know how to thank you…I just…" she began, just before he pulled her into another kiss.

This time, he broke it and looked longingly into her face. "I love you, Elena. Remember when you told me that we were in this together?" he asked and she nodded, "well, we are. I'll always be there for you—no matter what." She smiled, and a tear slid down her face as she felt his comforting arms wrap around her.

* * *

"I can't believe Jenna bought me a new phone already!" Elena exclaimed, "when I ran into that vampire with my car, it took us two weeks just to get the quote on a new one!"

"Well, breaking a phone is a little better than totaling a car", Stefan joked. Elena playfully punched him in the arm and laughed. Suddenly the phone started going off at top volume on vibrate.

_[Live like there's no tomorrow, 'cause all we have is here right now]_

"Selena Gomez? Really?" Stefan laughed

_[Love like it's all that we know, the only chance that we ever found]_

"I thought it was pretty fitting for my insane life right now", Elena countered as she answered the phone.

"Elena! Are you finally done playing hooky with Stefan?" Caroline laughed.

"Yep, Dr. Salvatore gave me a clean bill of health. We'll be there in a few minutes", Elena joked.

"Great! You guys have so much to catch up on after missing school for two days!" Caroline exclaimed, but then grew solemn, "but are you sure you're up for this, Elena? I mean…after everything that happened…"

"If I don't get back out there now, I never will, Caroline."

"You're right, you're right! Okay, well I have to go—Oh! Elena, didn't you talk to that Aria girl last week for something?"

"Yeah, Aria was attacked by him before I was", Elena said, still uncomfortable to say Peter's name, "why?"

"Well, I overheard my mom the other night…Elena, she's missing", Caroline explained.

"What? Did she run away?"

"Apparently she left a note about going on a walk for her mom a few nights ago, and never came back. They don't know if it was a run-away or a kidnapping."

"It's not like her to run away like that", Elena observed. Sure, she'd known the girl for two days—but Elena was pretty good at reading people, and she could tell that Aria wasn't one to give up and leave because she was scared. Elena saw a lot of herself in the girl, actually.

"I figured you'd say that…Do you want me to keep an ear open for any more information from my mom?"

"That'd be great, Caroline", Elena answered, when her phone beeped, signaling that she had another incoming call, "Hey Care, I've gotta go—somebody else is calling me. We'll see you in a little bit."

Stefan glanced over at her from the wheel as she hung up on Caroline. Elena quickly hit the accept button on her phone, and was instantly petrified when she heard the oh-too-familiar voice on the other end.

"Hello, Elena."

* * *

Did you enjoy it? I thought it was time Elena got back to school-I'm surprised they haven't sent a social worker over to her house yet, seeing as though she's missed so many days of school! I really liked writing for Caroline, but tell me if she seemed out of character. The more criticism I get, the better it'll be next time [hopefully!] :) anyways, I hope you all liked it, so as always feedback is love, people! so read an review! :D

-kiki :)

btw: only three days left until The Last Dance :) I'm super-duper excited!


	22. Break Down

Hey everybody! I got some really awesome reviews for the last chapter, and I want to say thank you sooo much! I appreciate it so much that you guys took the time to give me some feedback! Also, for those of you reading my other story, _Revenge of the Kat, _I'm super sorry that I haven't updated soon, but I've had a major case of writer's block on that story :P Anyways, back to this story-this chapter kind of explains a few things, and do you guys know the "emotional breakdown" I've been promising? Yeah, it starts in this chapter. So here it is, chapter 22!

* * *

"Hello Elena." She froze the minute she heard him. He was dead. She had killed him. How was he talking to her right now? Stefan gave her a weird look, but she was so caught up in the voice of her stalker that she didn't even notice.

"How…? You're dead… how?" When Elena said this, Stefan finally understood and pulled off the road, breaking so hard that they lurched forward.

"You thought you could get rid of me that easily, Elena? Well, I hate to inform you, but I'm still alive and extremely angry with you and your little boyfriends."

"But I staked you—you were dead. I saw it!" Elena whimpered as her eyes began to fill with water, making it difficult to see clearly.

"It takes a lot more than a little piece of wood to get rid of me, Elena", Peter countered.

"Wh-what do you want?" she whispered, the tears that she had been holding back coming down her face in rivers.

"What do I want?" Peter asked, "I want you. And if I don't get what I want, you and your loved ones are as good as dead."

"You stay the hell away from my family!" Elena screamed into the phone, terror ringing through her voice.

"I figured you'd say that, so I have some…incentive for you." Elena was petrified again. One week. One week of calmness was all she asked for—and hadn't even given her five days! She was sobbing in Stefan's arms when suddenly, a different voice came onto the phone—a voice as scared as she was.

"Aria? Is that you?" Elena gasped into the phone, realizing that Peter knew that she would never let an innocent girl be hurt.

"Elena? Elena help me! He's going to kill me! Please, please—NO!" Aria cried onto the phone, and Elena gasped. Why was he doing this to them?

"If you don't meet me in the clearing at midnight tonight, your friend is dead—and then I'll come after you, too", Peter threatened.

"What clearing?" Elena muttered, but she already knew the answer to her question.

"You know the one. Be there tonight, or else." The phone went dead, and Elena collapsed into Stefan's arms crying. It was all her fault. If she had just stayed with him, Aria would be safe and so would everyone else. But she'd pissed him off, and now he was going to kill everyone she cared about.

They sat there for a few minutes before Elena sat up and looked out the front window. "Stefan, I don't think I can go to school today", she whispered, her voice sounded utterly broken.

"It's okay, Elena", he assured her. Stefan turned the car around and started to head back towards her house, when she stopped him.

"I can't go home. Jenna would ask why I'm skipping school again, and then I'd lie like always and…and…" Elena started, stuttering as tears started to run down her face again. Stefan put one arm around her, and started to drive towards his house. He knew Elena was strong, but how much could she take before it was just too much?

* * *

"HE'S ALIVE?" Damon yelled as he threw his glass at the fireplace. It shattered into millions of tiny crystals and expected either Elena or Stefan to scold him. But when he looked back, Elena was on the couch looking—well, frankly she looked dead. The spark that was normally in her eyes was gone—like Peter had thrown a bucket of water onto the flame. Stefan looked worried and pissed off, and Damon was feeling the exact same way.

"Yeah, Damon. That's what we've been telling you for the past 30 minutes", Stefan muttered.

"But Elena killed him! What the hell is wrong with that guy?"

"I don't know. I just—" Stefan began, when Elena cut in.

"He's an original", she said. There was absolutely no emotion in her voice. It was like she had shut off her emotions—except she wasn't a vampire. She sounded like Damon when he had gotten upset over Katherine, except she wasn't drunk or homicidal.

The brothers looked at her. She hadn't said a single thing since they'd gotten there—just sat down on the couch and stared at the floor.

"Okay, well that clears a few things up. But what about the clearing? It's not like we live in the middle of a forest where there are clearings all over the place or anything", Damon replied sarcastically, "And what did he mean by 'you know the one'? How the hell would Elena know where this psycho is talking about?"

"I saw it in a dream before I first woke up here—right after I killed him", Elena explained.

"But how are you supposed to know how to get to it?" Stefan pondered her comment.

"I don't know how, but I know exactly how to get there. I guess he planted it in my mind when he gave me the dream."

"He gave you the dream? How?" Stefan asked, then looked over at Damon who had begun pacing the room. He wasn't showing it, but Stefan knew that he was just as worried about Elena as Stefan was. She had always been like a rock for them—keeping them in line and helping them through it all. But it looked like _she _was the one who needed help this time. They'd seen her physically hurt, but the closest Stefan had ever seen her to this was when she thought it was her fault that everyone she loved could die.

"That's not possible, Elena. He was buried in the forest when we brought you here. So how could he have given you a dream?" Damon asked as his pacing sped up.

"I DON'T KNOW, OK?" Elena screamed at them. Damon suddenly stopped pacing, and Stefan 's eyes were full of pity and concern.

"I just…I can't do this…" she whispered as silent tears began to fall down her face, "I can't take it. Klaus, originals, Peter, and now Aria's been kidnapped. And it's all my fault. If I had just…If I could only…" Her silent tears became heart-wrenching sobs, and Stefan wrapped his arms around her and looked up at his brother.

Damon's eyes met Stefan's, and they knew that Elena had reached her breaking point. All they could hope was that she didn't do something drastic because of it.

* * *

So? how was it! This one was a bit harder to write-I was trying to show Elena's lack of emotion, but at the same time she had to be in a lot of pain, too. How did I do? I think that it is completely unrealistic that Elena in the show hasn't freaked out completely yet, so I wanted to show it myself. But she's due for one in the show anytime now, because nobody can go through this much without having a major freak-out eventually! Don't worry, though-Elena will pull through in the end :) and as always, feedback is love, people! so read and review!

-kiki :)

Oh, and who thought that last week's episode was frigging amazing? I mean, the first half was kinda slow, but by the end I was absolutely sobbing w/ Nina! She was so dang good, and I really liked Alaric as Klaus, he was hilarious! When Elena apologized to Damon for slapping him, I was like "WHY THE HELL ARE YOU APOLOGIZING? HE TOTALLY DESERVED THAT!" but as always, they don't listen to me. And Stefan and Elena's scenes I thought were cute, but there weren't enough of them :{ but overall, on a scale of epicness, I would give _The Last Dance _a 9 out of 10 :)


	23. The Clearing

Hey everybody! I'm really glad that you liked the last chapter, and I got some great reviews! School has hit a bit of a quiet patch, so I was able to respond to the comments on this chapter :) Thanks so much for reviewing, you guys! Now we saw Elena' little break down last chapter, and its not over quite yet. But this chapter is relatively void of any upsets. Next the next chapters will be a doozie, though, and Elena's going to get pretty upset :( but anyways, here's chapter 23, and I hope you guys love it!

* * *

"I'm going."

Stefan and Damon turned towards Elena. Other than the tantrum she had thrown earlier, she'd said nothing the entire day. She had been broken to pieces by Peter's return, but now the brothers heard determination in her voice. "What do you mean you're going?" Stefan asked.

"I'm going to go meet Peter."

"Oh hell no you're not!" Damon yelled.

"Yes. I am, Damon."

"Elena, let's think about this. You're going to run into the arms of a psychotic vampire that wants you dead? I don't think so." Stefan countered.

"Yes, Stefan. I am going to go to Peter. I am going to talk to him, and I'm going to save Aria."

"You're doing all of this to save some little girl that you just met? Elena, don't be stupid", Damon argued, knowing that it was of no use. When Elena made up her mind, there was nothing you could do to stop her—and she had made up her mind.

"If he had taken me, would you have come after me?"

"Hell yes."

"And how old am I? Seventeen? I'd still consider me a 'little girl' in comparison to you. "

"Elena, you know wh—"

"What's the difference between me and her? Please, enlighten me, Damon."

"I've known you a hell of a lot longer than her! Elena, you're acting insane!"

"Really? I'm pretty sure I've known you for about three months. In my book, that's really not that long, and I'm guessing that after you've lived for over 165 years, it's even shorter. So if you'd rescue me, why not rescue her?" Elena asked, knowing that she had basically trapped him in a corner.

Stefan had been watching with amusement the whole time, but knew that Elena was right. There was no way that they could just leave Aria with Peter. She was innocent…just like Elena. Stefan looked up at the two quarreling, and shook his head when Damon didn't answer Elena—he just stood there looking guiltily at her.

"Exactly", Elena said, "Now, it's 11:00, so I'm going to leave to go to the clearing. Are you coming?"

The brothers eyed each other and sighed as they watched Elena turn on her heel and walk out the door. As Stefan followed close behind, he had a bad feeling. This was _not_ going to end well.

Elena was walking ahead of Stefan and Damon at a brisk pace, and looked completely focused on where she was going. She had no clue how to get to the clearing, but as soon as she had walked out the door with her mind made, she just let her feet take her where they needed to go.

"Elena, where are we?" Damon complained.

She ignored him, as if she was stuck in her own little world where everything revolved around finding the clearing.

"Elena, are you okay?" Stefan asked, as he sped to catch up to her. But as soon as he laid his hand on her, she flinched and stopped walking. She turned around to look at him.

"What?" she asked, "Oh, um, no. I don't know where we are or where we're going…But we have to go this way."

"Oh…kay?" Damon wondered, adding in his famous 'eye-thing'—to which she rolled her eyes at. Stefan fell back with Damon, and Elena turned back around, keeping her eyes ahead of her.

They had been walking for a good 30 minutes, when she saw something through the trees. An eery light shone onto her, illuminating her in a dark glow. She spun around towards the brothers, and realized that they were just as confused as she was.

She returned her eyes to the front, and noticed a huge willow tree blocking some of the light, and she, Stefan, and Damon slowly walked up to it. Looking through the long wispy branches, she saw what looked like an open space. A light breeze blew through the tree, and Stefan and Damon watched in amazement as Elena took on an almost heavenly appearance. Her chestnut hair blew in the wind, and her face light up as more of the moonlight gleamed through the branches. Her hair was gleaming as if she had gold woven into it, and the tree branches swayed around her, dancing in the wind.

"Wow…." was all that Stefan was able to make out. Elena grinned, and the light that had previously been erased from her eyes returned. It was as if the moonlight glowed through her eyes into her very soul, and Stefan found it hard to look away. Elena turned back towards the tree, and gently brushed the branches away, walking into the tree. She waded through the beautiful branches until she reached the other side with Stefan and Damon close behind, and frowned when she looked around.

Stefan noticed that her previously angelic face had suddenly turned sour, and was almost sure of what was coming next. Sure enough, the first thing Elena said when she finally composed herself again was:

"We're here."

The three looked up towards the sky, and realized that the moon was full—hence the extreme glow from the heavens. They were looking around the clearing when a bush on the opposite side rustled. Three pairs of eyes automatically turned towards the noise, and Elena's once confident face suddenly took on a terrified look. Peter stepped out of the bushes, dragging a terrified Aria by the hair. She was tied up and gagged, but her eyes practically popped out of her head when she saw the three people in front of her.

Elena took a step forward, but immediately two hands grabbed her from behind to stop her. She shook them off and took a few steps forward anyways.

"Glad to see you came, Elena", Peter stated as he ripped the gag off of Aria.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, Peter", Elena challenged, suddenly gaining her composure again.

"Ah, you're quite snippy tonight, I see. Well, that will make this all the more fun", Peter smirked, then looked down at the quivering girl in his hands, "Elena, you would really give up your life for this useless thing?"

"She's not useless. And I'm not giving up anything, I'm here to save a friend."

"HA! You think you aren't losing anything? Think again", Peter laughed, "While I may be done with you, I still know somebody that isn't."

Suddenly, Elena realized that it wasn't necessarily Peter that wanted her. There were plenty of other vampires and werewolves just itching to get their hands on her.

"If you think there is any way that I'm leaving with you, you're sadly mistaken."

"If you think there is any way that I'm leaving _without_ you, YOU are sadly mistaken", Peter repeated, "I no longer have any use for you. But I am here to make a deal."

'Oh no. Deals are NOT good. After Elijah, there is NO way I am making deals with anymore vampires', Elena thought to herself.

"I'm not interested, Peter. So give me Aria, and we can all be on our merry way", Elena suggested.

"Oh no, Miss Gilbert. The only way Aria is returning to her family is if you agree to my deal."

'Damn', she thought. There was no way she was getting out of here with both her and Aria alive, she began to realize. But she knew that she had to try anyways. "Fine. What do you want?"

"Like I said, I want you. But this time I'm just the delivery boy."

Elena got a sinking feeling in her stomach, and then she asked the question she was dreading, "Delivery boy for who?"

"Who else? Klaus. He wants you." Elena's heart dropped and her breathing stopped. She could feel Stefan as soon as he sped behind her for support. Klaus knew she was the doppelganger. He knew where she was. He was going to kill everybody. And it was all. Her. Fault. She knew that she no longer had a choice, she had made a promise, and had had every intention of keeping it.

"So, I propose a trade. You for the useless human. You agree, she leaves unharmed and you come with me. You deny me, and she dies and I get you, anyways." Elena could feel Stefan and Damon tense behind her, and she knew that the young girl's life laid in her unwilling hands. Aria began to sob, and she finally broke her silence.

"ELENA! PLEASE DON'T LET ME KILL HIM! I'M ONLY SIXTEEN DON'T LET HIM DO THIS TO ME! PLEASE!" her sobs echoed through the clearing, and Elena could feel the tears streaming down her own face. She knew her decision, and it would change her life forever. Slowly she met Aria's eyes and said, "I'm sorry." The girls started weeping uncontrollably, and when Elena could no longer take it, she turned her face towards the evil vampire and stated her decision.

"No Deal."

* * *

Elena's finally staying true to her promise to stay strong, I just hope she can keep it! So Aria's in a bit of danger, and we're going to see what happens to her next chapter :) any guesses? Anyways, I hope you guys liked it, and I want to thank you again for the wonderful reviews! They are so amazing, and I love hearing you guys' feedback! So like always, feedback is love, people :) so read and review!

-kiki :)

oh, and who thought that tonight's episode was pretty dang good? I really liked it! I wouldn't say love, b/c lets face it, there wasn't really a major fight scene (unless you count Damon and Stefan being complete jackasses to each other. that pissed me off. And why the heck didn't Elena ask them what they were doing? it's not like she has super-vamp hearing!). But I thought that Elena & Jenna's heart-heart was adorably heartwrenching, and Damon made my heart break the end. And I'm a totaly Stefan lover! :D anyways, I really liked the episode, but lets hope that next week has some more action (not including Stefan and Damon being jackasses again. I almost threw something at the tv tonight!)


	24. The Outcome

Hey everybody :) I'm sorry I haven't updated lately, but Easter was last weekend, and my birthday was on Tuesday. Then school got crazy, and I can't wait until summer -.- but anyways, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I got some great reviews, and I appreciate them sooo much! I know Elena was kind of out of character the end of the last one, but I had to make her that way to keep the story rolling :( and she won't go un-punished, either. If you thought her emotional breakdown was bad 2 chapters ago, this one is even worse :( I'll try to keep her more in character from now on, and I can't see any other reason for why I would have to put her OOC for a little while-but I'll keep my eye out, and try to make Elena act like Elena! Thanks for all the feedback, and here's the next chapter!

* * *

"No Deal", Elena said, knowing full and well that she had just sealed the death sentence on Aria. She wanted nothing more than to save the poor girl, but she had promised Stefan and Damon that she would fight—and that's exactly what she did. Aria was weeping uncontrollably and screaming out a stream of obscenities as Peter looked with surprise at the doppelganger. Tears of guilt rolled silently down Elena's face, and when Peter's expression changed she knew that it would be over soon.

"Hmm, you never fail to surprise me, Elena. However, this time it will cost you a life", Peter smirked, as he reached down and yanked Aria off the ground to face him.

"NO!" Aria sobbed, her screams echoing through the clearing at an intense volume, "STOP! PLEASE! DON'T KILL ME!"

"I'm sorry, but your friend has made her decision, and she'd rather you die than her—just like her doppelganger, Katerina", Peter retorted, and place a hand on either side of her face. He smirked, and in one quick motion, he snapped Aria's neck in two and laughed as her body fell to the ground.

"NO!" Elena yelled as she heard the deafening crack ringing in her ears. A small part of her brain registered Stefan and Damon's hands trying to pull her back, but the only thing she could sense was Aria's body laying in a heap in the center of the clearing. Peter turned to give Elena a tooth-filled smile, and he was gone. She pushed the restraining hands away and ran over to her new friend.

"No", she whimpered as tears ran down her face, "No, no, no, no…" She pulled Aria up into her lap and practically collapsed from grief and exhaustion. She felt herself being pulled up by her arms, and was suddenly engulfed in a warm body. There were so many things she wanted to say, but she couldn't find her voice. So she stood there in Stefan's arms sobbing as he and Damon led her back to their house.

* * *

"What are we going to do about her?" Damon asked. Elena had cried the whole thirty minute walk home, and had been crying for an hour since. Stefan had brought her upstairs, then walked back down to talk with Damon.

"I don't know. She blames herself for Aria's death, and I don't know how to convince her that it isn't her fault", Stefan admitted. The only words she had said since the incident were along the lines of "my fault" and "she's dead"—other than that, she had pretty much gone mute like earlier that day when Peter made his miraculous return.

"Why the hell does she think that? There's nothing she could've done—plus, what's one little human worth anyways?"

"Damon—", Stefan started, when Elena appeared on the stairs. Her eyes were red, and she was breathing heavily from the tears she had shed over Aria's death.

"How can you say that?" she whispered.

"Elena, I didn't mean—" Damon began, but was cut off by the upset girl.

"Yes. Yes you did, or else you wouldn't have said it", Elena accused.

"Fine. But I'm just saying that in the grand scheme of things, she really didn't mean that much to anyone", Damon offered, hoping that Elena would calm down.

"Didn't mean much to anyone? What about her parents?" Elena countered breathlessly before she continued, "Are you saying she didn't mean anything to them?"

"Elena, I—"

"They're never gonna get to see her graduate or get married, or hold their granddaughter in their arms. And what about her friends? There won't be any more sleepovers. No more horrible karaoke, or gossiping about Maria and Josh. They'll never get to watch "The Titanic" with her again—even though they've all seen it enough that they can quote every line that Jack and Rose say", she asked, tears silently running down her face as they had been all night.

"And what about her? She'll never get that romantic evening where her boyfriend of 2 years finally asks her to marry her, or her wedding day that was so perfect that every moment was permanently seared into her memory. She'll never get the promotion, or the big house with the huge yard and the white picket fence. Her kids are never going to go to basketball playoffs in high school or win a prize for being the best artist in the world. Hell, they could be the ones who discovered the cure for cancer! But that's never going to happen, because I killed her", Elena stated, feeling her guilt wash through her like a tsunami.

"Elena, it's not your fault", Stefan assured her, but knew that it would take a lot more convincing to get her to believe it. Jeremy had told him that it had taken her months to stop blaming herself for her parent's death, and he wasn't so sure she didn't still feel guilty about that night.

"Really? He killed her because of me—because I wouldn't take his deal. If I would have just agreed, she'd still be alive."

"But you wouldn't be", Damon urged, trying and hoping to get back on her good side.

"What does that matter?" she screamed at him, "You heard Peter, Damon! He said that he was going to bring me to Klaus, anyways!"

Elena was trembling in anger, but suddenly she could barely take the guilt and whispered, "She was _sixteen_, Damon. _Sixteen_. And now she's dead."

Damon was sick of her getting mad at him, and even though he knew that it was the worst idea he'd probably ever had in his nearly 170 years of life, he countered Elena's argument with his own: "What about your family, Elena? How would they have felt if you'd let yourself be sacrificed tonight?"

Elena glared through her anger and tears and replied, "I only have two family members left, Damon. Aria had an entire group of people that cared about her."

"And you don't? Elena, do you realize that me, Stefan, Bonnie, Caroline, and Alaric would do _anything _to keep you alive? Or is that unacceptable to you because you still feel guilty about your parent's death?" Damon yelled at her. Stefan's eyes nearly popped out of his head when Damon said that, but when he looked at Damon he saw no hint of an "I'm sorry" or an "I didn't mean it" in his eyes. Stefan gave him a glare that said, '_What the hell do you think you're doing?', _but Damon ignored it and focused his attention back at Elena who had been rendered speechless by Damon's accusation.

"That's it, isn't it? You still blame yourself for the accident, and you can't imagine anyone caring about you because of it", Damon continued, finally gaining a reply from Elena.

"You have _no clue _what you're talking about", Elena muttered through clenched teeth, "You don't really know what it's like to lose a family member because you can just shut off your emotions if the pain gets to be too much."

"Really? Because I remember my mother dying of pneumonia when I was five. Couldn't shut off my emotions, then, could I?"

"It's not the same. You lost your mom after you knew her five years. I lost _both_ of my parents after I knew them for _seventeen_ years—then I lost my brother for months, because he couldn't handle the pain and started doing drugs", Elena accused, her teeth clenched so much that Stefan swore he could see veins popping out on her neck. Damon suddenly looked sorry, knowing that he had pushed her too far—but it was too late.

"You had time to say goodbye to your mother. I passed out in the car and never got to speak to either of my parents again. So don't ever tell me what I'm feeling", Elena muttered as she picked up her bag and headed towards Damon, who was currently standing in front of the door. When she reached him, he turned his head to see her. The look on her face made him want to cry. He had never seen her this pained before, and he realized that he had gone way too far.

"You have _no _idea", she growled in his ear before storming off into the darkness, slamming the door behind her. Stefan looked over to his brother and glared.

"You're an idiot, Damon", he muttered with the shake of a head before he followed Elena out into the night.

* * *

How was it? Basically, Elena denied Peter just to keep her promise to Stefan and Damon, but she didn't really think through the consequences-so I hope Elena is more in character this chapter, but don't be afraid to tell me if she wasn't! I love bringing in Elena's past, because frankly I don't think that five minutes in "Bloodlines" in season one was enough to satisfy her parents' deaths. And if you haven't read my other story, I had almost an entire chapter devoted to Elena dealing w/ her parents' deaths. Oh, and I still haven't found my muse for "Revenge of the Kat", and I would love to write an authors note 'chapter'-but that bugs me so much when someone does that and I get all excited thinking they've updated, when its really just a long note. So I won't, and I'll just tell you all that are reading it, that I will get another chapter out sometime this weekedn-hopefully tonight! :) anyways, I really hope you liked this chapter, and as always feedback is love, people! So read and review :)

-kiki :)

btw: did you guys see last nights's episode? Might I say EPIC? I totally saw Damon's dick-move coming :) and I feel soo bad for Elena. And Jenna. And Stefan. And...well, you get the picture :) oh, and does anyone know what Bonnie and Jeremy are doing shacking it up in the old Gilbert mansion? hmm... I wonder... Oh, and I bet you could just hear me cheering when Elena FINALLY had her emotional breakdown where she realized that SHE IS GOING TO DIE! and if you couldn't, I promise you, I was pretty dang loud :) but I still felt horrible, and was crying right along w/ her! And Klaus is a totally jerk. And Greta is a total bitch ("No, she's in transition"- wasn't that like the sickest thing you've ever heard? I mean really! She doesn't even care that her family died for her AND she's excitedt that Jenna's dead? what the hell is wrong w/ this lady?). End of story. Oh, and I CANNOT wait for "The Sun Also Rises"!


	25. The Plan

Hey everyboydy :) I'm so sorry I haven't updated lately, but I've had AP tests and finals and URG! I can't wait for this school year to be over! Only 8 days left til I'm out of there, and 11 until I'm chilling out on the beach :D Anyways, I want to tell you all how much I appreciated all of your reviews! Thanks so much for your feedback, it makes me feel so much better! But I'll shut up now and let you all read :) So here's chapter 25!

* * *

As soon as Elena ran out the door, she broke down into tears. Stumbling over to Stefan's car, she laid against it with her head in her hands and cried, letting the events of the day weigh down on her. She heard Stefan run out the door, and as soon as he saw her at the car he sped over to sit next to her.

"How could he say that?" Elena sobbed, "He doesn't know anything about what I'm going through!" Stefan wrapped his arms around her to comfort her, and looked down into her eyes.

"Nobody really knows what you're going through, Elena. The only person that can even come close is Katherine, and her motivations are completely different from yours", Stefan tried to explain, "but Elena, we're just as scared as you are. We can't lose you. _I_ can't lose you."

When Elena saw the look of desperation on his face, her tears began to come even faster, but she started laughing. Stefan looked at her, confused, and when he saw that she was laughing, he joined in with a chuckle or two. Nothing was particularly funny about the moment, but the stress had been weighing down heavily on both of them, and Elena's laugh was so contagious that it was nearly impossible not to join in.

"Stefan, do you realize how hopeless we sound?" she asked with a giggle. But she slowly stopped, and a serious look of consternation fell over her face. Stefan could see the grief and fear in her eyes, and wanted to get rid of it more than anything. "I'm not going anywhere. I promised you I would fight, so that's what I'm doing. But this can't keep happening—people can't keep getting hurt or killed because of me."

"Elena, you did what you had to do—there wasn't another choice", Stefan argued. "And there was no way to save Aria", Stefan told her, hating the way she flinched when he said the dead girl's name, "he would have killed her whether you took the deal or not."

"How do you know that?" she whimpered.

"Because I know people like him. He wasn't like Elijah—just because he said he'd do something didn't mean he actually would."

The two sat there for what seemed like an eternity, when Elena sighed quietly. Stefan looked up at her, and she looked as if she was going to burst into tears again.

"He was right."

Stefan looked puzzled at her and replied, "Who was right about what?"

"Damon. He was right—I _do_ still feel guilty about my parents", she explained as a fresh wave of tears washed over her face. "_I _skipped family night. _My ride _got drunk and lost her keys, so _I _had to call my parents. If I would've just stayed at home that night, they'd still be alive. And now on top of that, I got an innocent girl killed."

"Elena, she'd still be dead even if you had agreed to let Peter take you—the only difference is that you'd be dead, too", Stefan argued.

"But what did she do to deserve that? She'd barely even begun to live, and now she's dead."

"What about you?" Stefan asked.

"What do you mean 'what about me'?" Elena wondered.

"What about you? Why do you deserve to die more than Aria did?"

"I…I don't know…" Elena admitted, stumbling over her words. She was angry that Stefan had brought this up again, but she realized that he was absolutely right. She'd done nothing more than Aria, and yet she was slated for death just because she looked like someone else from her bloodline.

Stefan frowned at her. "Exactly, Elena. You don't deserve to die any more than she did. And it's not your fault. Your parents' deaths were an accident, Elena. They didn't die because their daughter wanted to go to a party—they died because they drove off Wickery Bridge. And Aria was kidnapped and murdered. There was absolutely _nothing_ that you could have done to stop Peter.

Elena gave him a tortured look and nodded her head in agreement. After a loud sob, she laid her head on Stefan's shoulder. "You're right. You're completely right, Stefan", she mumbled. She sighed, then sat up against the car. He could tell that she was trying to fight, and that she was trying to heal from the past few days—both physically and mentally. Then, she muttered, "This has to stop, Stefan. I can't keep feeling sorry for myself, because every time I do, somebody ends up threatened or kidnapped or dead. So I'm going to get up and call in the troops."

Stefan smiled at her and got up, helping her to her feet. Hand in hand, they walked back to the house. As soon as they opened the door, Damon walked into the room. Elena saw the guilt and sorrow etched on his face, but all she could manage was a shake of the head and a glare. She saw a hint of pain flash across his face, but she was so furious she couldn't find it in her to care.

"Elena, I—"

"I don't wanna hear it, Damon. You made your opinion of me clear, and I intend to do the same", Elena interrupted, then took his phone off the table near the door and tossed it to him, "You call Alaric and Jeremy and tell them to come over now, and I'll call Bonnie and Caroline."

Damon caught the phone midair as his face fell even further into guilt. Elena stormed off into the common room and grabbed her phone from her bag and started to dial Bonnie's number. She vaguely noted that it was barely four in the morning, but figured that her friends were used to her calling them in the middle of the night. After everything they'd been through, it was difficult to believe that it could all be over soon.

* * *

"So what did you call us here at four AM for?"

Alaric, Jeremy, Bonnie, and Caroline looked tired and confused as Elena, Stefan, and Damon walked into the room. Elena walked across the room to lounge in an armchair, while Stefan and Damon remained standing in the doorway. Caroline and Bonnie looked over at their best friend, and could see the sorrow and worry in her face. There were dark shadows underneath her eyes, and it looked as though she hadn't slept for a week. The fire that was normally in her eyes was gone, extinguished by the stress of her life.

Elena saw her friends worrying over her, but decided to ignore it as she spoke. "Peter's back."

"What?" the four visitors yelled in unison, suddenly awakened from their sleepy composures.

"I know, I know. He's back and badder than ever", Elena added. Damon chose this moment to walk to the liquor table and pour himself a glass, knowing that the guilt he felt wouldn't be affected by the alcohol, but wishing to god that it could be.

Jeremy looked extremely concerned for his sister, but when he saw the look on her face, he grew suspicious. "What aren't you telling us, Elena?"

Her face—which was already dark—grew sadder at Jeremy's question, and she struggled to speak as the tears threatened to come again. "He…he killed Aria", she began as she felt a single tear slide down her cheek, "and…and…."

Stefan rushed over to her side as Damon tried to explain what had happened in the clearing. He gave Elena a hug, and handed her a tissue. Elena smiled sheepishly, and muttered that she was fine, just shaken up a bit. Calming down, Elena leaned back into the chair and Stefan returned to his spot by the door with a quick nod.

"To sum it all up, Peter killed Aria and threatened to bring Elena to Klaus", Damon continued his explanation.

"Is there anyone who _isn't _working for Klaus?" Alaric questioned as he, too, stood up to pour himself a glass of Damon's scotch.

"That is alive and trustworthy? No, not really. That's why we can't trust anyone besides those in this room right now", Damon stated as he walked over and sat on the armrest of Elena's chair without noticing. As everybody watched, Elena shot an evil glare at him and wrenched herself out of her chair to sit in between Caroline and Bonnie on the couch. Wondering what was going on between them, Caroline gave Elena a questioning look, to which Elena responded with quick shake of the head.

"Okay, then. What the heck are we supposed to do?" Jeremy asked, obviously frustrated with the lack of options presented to him.

Damon looked at Jeremy with a sly smile, and replied, "Simple. We beat him at his own game."

The group looked suspiciously at Damon. "And how do you suppose we do that, Damon?" Alaric asked, clearly not impressed by Damon's cool demeanor.

"Simple. We let him sacrifice Elena."

* * *

So Elena's pissed at Damon and he wants to sacrifice her. Hmm, where's this going to go? Any guesses? I hope you all liked it, and I hope you take the time to send me some love :) Feedback is love, so read and review!

-kiki :)

btw: here's my opinion of last night's EPIC season finale (oh, spoiler alert :) I'll try not to reveal too much, just in case you don't read this!)  
1. Poor Damon :( as much as I love Stelena, the Delena stuff was adorable. Don't get me wrong, I still threw anything w/in arms reach the TV when Elena did you-know-what to Damon :/  
2. Poor Stefan :( he worked so hard to fight for what he believed in, and Klaus came and took it away by bribing him to save his bro :( when Elena realizes that he's not coming back anytime soon (did Klaus say 10 years? or did I imagine that?) what is she gonna do? Will she blame Damon? :(  
3. idk if I've said this before, but Klaus is a TOTAL JACKASS!  
4. Wow, Katherine actually _did _come back to save him! didn't expect that!  
5. "You can thank me tomorrow...and the next day...and the next day..." need I say anymore? :D that was one of the funniest scenes EVER.  
6. Anna? Vickie? What the heck is going on? Ok, JK! I put enough together to figure out what was going on w/ Jer, but what's gonna happen!

So in summary, WHEN IS SEPTEMBER? :'(


	26. The Choice

Hey everybody! I'm sooo sorry that I haven't updated in such a long time, but there has just been so much going on with school that I haven't had time :( BUT-school is out tomorrow, so I'll have plenty more time to update! I'll try to update twice by Saturday, b/c I'm going to the beach for a week and won't be able to update then, either :( but hey! I'm home free from school :D but anyways, here it is :) chapter 26!

* * *

_Damon looked at Jeremy with a sly smile, and replied, "Simple. We beat him at his own game."_

_The group looked suspiciously at Damon. "And how do you suppose we do that, Damon?" Alaric asked, __clearly not impressed by Damon's cool demeanor._

"_Simple. We let him sacrifice Elena."_

The moment he said it, he heard plenty of arguments yelling through the room. Stefan rushed over to him and slammed Damon into the wall, while Alaric tried to pull them off of each other. Caroline, Bonnie, and Jeremy were on their feet yelling at Damon, but the most surprising response in the room was Elena's. Instead of yelling, she just sat there, wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the hell in front of her.

"Let me explain!" Damon yelled at the group of angry people, but they'd have none of it.

"How can you let her die? We've tried so hard to keep her alive and now you want Klaus to kill her?" Stefan yelled at him, but before he could continue he was thrown across the room against the opposite wall.

"I'm not going to get her killed! You of all people should know that, Stefan!" Damon yelled back as he shoved him into the wall. Chaos ripped through the room like a forest fire, and the sound echoing around the room was deafening. When it seemed as though the fight had come to its climax, Elena suddenly stood up and yelled.

"STOP!" Every head in the room turned towards her, and she continued, "Please, just, stop. Let's just hear him out—_without_ arguing until he's done. _Please." _At Elena's desperate plea for peace, the group released each other and sat back down. The tension in the room was obvious, but Damon acted like he didn't notice.

"Now, as I was saying. We let Peter take Elena to Klaus, then kill them both before he can even get the ingredients ready", Damon explained.

"You saw what happened when we tried to take Peter down last time! Do you really think that we'll be able to defeat both of them?" Stefan asked.

"Maybe, maybe not. If not, you can just slip your girlfriend a little blood, and then she'll come right back to life." At this, Elena jerked up out of her chair.

"No. That's not gonna happen."

Damon looked incredulously at her. "Elena, it's not like you'd be dead! You'd come back to life like that!" Damon said with a snap of the fingers.

"As a vampire!"

"But you'd still be alive!" Damon yelled back.

"No I wouldn't! Not really, anyways!" Elena screamed, dumbfounded as to why he would even think to offer that up as a solution. "I can't believe that you, of _all_ people, even suggest that", she muttered as she stormed out of the room. Shocked expressions spread around the room. Damon made a move to follow her, but was stopped by Caroline.

"Not a good idea, Damon", Caroline explained. Damon groaned, unsure of whether the bad idea was to follow Elena, or to turn her.

Everybody could hear Elena's angry footsteps echoing in the room above, as she contemplated everything. They all assumed that the meeting had been adjourned, and started filing out of the house. After everyone had left, Elena suddenly showed up at the bottom of the steps with packed bags in hand.

"Jenna called. She said it was time for me to come home." She looked expectantly at Stefan, and he quickly offered to drive her home. As the couple walked out the door, Damon could only think about how he had managed to screw up everything so completely.

* * *

"Elena, we need to talk about this."

Elena glanced over at Stefan as he drove and sighed. "What is there to talk about, Stefan? I'm pretty much slated for death, and the only plan we have is to turn me into a vampire."

"That's not going to happen, Elena. I promise."

"Don't. Don't make promises you can't keep. "

Stefan pulled the car into a parking lot and gave her an exasperated look from behind the wheel. He sighed, and looked deep into her eyes. "Elena, I _promise_ to keep you alive and human. So please, tell me what's going through your head right now."

She shook her head. "No. I can't", Elena whispered as tears threatened to spill. She couldn't talk about it. Not with Stefan. Not with Caroline. Not with anybody.

"Yes you can", Stefan pleaded with her, "Elena, you can talk to me. Whatever you have to say isn't going to hurt my feelings."

She kept her eyes facing forward, but the tears began to roll down her face. "I don't want to be a vampire, Stefan. I never wanted to be a vampire, but now it seems like that's the only choice I have besides dying", she whimpered.

"I know, Elena. I knew you never wanted this—but you aren't going to have to make this decision. We're not going to let Peter take you to Klaus."

"What if he takes me anyways?"

"It's not going to happen. I'll stay with you all the time if I have to", Stefan promised.

Elena laughed, a smile beginning to creep back over her features, "Why do I get the idea that that's not just to keep me safe?"

"Because it's not", Stefan admitted as grinned, "I just love you too much to stay away, Miss Gilbert."

"I love you, too, Mr. Salvatore", Elena grinned as she was pulled into a kiss. It wasn't dramatic, just a simple kiss. But she still felt the passion between them as he pulled back slowly after a few seconds. Their foreheads met and their eyes locked, and Elena knew that she had never felt this much love for anybody.

She laughed, and Stefan looked questioningly at her. "What is it?" he asked.

"Jenna is _so _going to ground me. She called over three hours ago, and I still haven't gotten home", Elena laughed, but soon she realized that she didn't care. When you had a boyfriend that could climb through your window in one second, there wasn't really any reason to be upset that she'd be stuck in her room for a week. As Stefan sat up and pulled back onto the road, she smiled, thinking to herself that it didn't get much better than this—even when the rest of her world was falling apart.

* * *

"Jenna! I'm home! Where are you?" Elena yelled through the house as she and Stefan walked through the door with her bags. She knew it wasn't going to be good when Jenna stormed through the kitchen doorframe.

"Elena, where the hell have you been? You skip school and disappear for days without even a phone call, and then show up like nothing happened?" Jenna yelled, oblivious to the fact that Stefan was standing in the room with them.

"I'm sorry, Jenna. I had some stuff that came up, and I didn't have time to call", Elena tried to explain without giving too much away. Jenna groaned in frustration, and Elena dropped her bags on the ground and followed as Jenna stormed back into the kitchen.

"Didn't have time? You should've _made _time! I've been worried sick!"

Elena began to get confused. Elena had disappeared for days at a time before and Jenna had never gotten this upset. A bad feeling crawled over Elena, but she didn't have time to figure out what it was, because Jenna was still going.

"Elena? Hello! Don't you just ignore me! What have you and Stefan been do—"

"Jenna, have you been wearing that perfume I gave you?" Elena asked as the worry mounted in her chest.

"What the hell does that have to do with anything? You can't just distract me with—"

"Jenna! Have you been wearing it or not?"

"No! I ran out a few days ago! What does that have to do with anything?"

Elena's eyes grew bigger, and she looked at Stefan. He had the same look on his face that she betted she had on hers, but there was no time to check. As soon as Elena started to take a step towards her, Peter was behind Jenna.

Elena screamed, and watched in horror as he ripped into her neck. Jenna was screaming in pain, but it cut off quickly as the blood loss began to take over. Elena saw as the life was drained out of her aunt—but it felt like her sister was being taken away from her. She'd grown so close to Jenna, and seeing her aunt killed right in front of her eyes was like having her heart ripped out, torn to pieces, and placed back in her chest.

Pain rushed through her body and mind, and she felt herself rushing towards her aunt in scuffled steps. Peter and Stefan were no longer thoughts in her mind—all she could see was Jenna. Elena could vaguely hear Stefan groan behind her, but couldn't find it in her to turn around.

She was just inches away from Jenna, but suddenly felt herself pulled up into a standing position. Stefan was on the ground with a stake in his stomach—the source of the groan. But as she came out of her haze, she realized that Peter was the one holding her up.

"It's time for us to go."

"What are you gonna do to me?" Elena whimpered. Before Peter had time to give her an answer, Stefan spoke.

"Don't kill her! Please", Stefan pleaded, wincing in pain at the effort. He could see that Elena was in shock from her aunt's death, so he begged for her.

"That is not really an option. It _is _a sacrifice, after all."

"Then don't take her. You don't have to."

"I'm afraid I do. I have had the pleasure of angering Klaus. This is my only way to repay my debt. But, I can promise you one thing."

"And what would that be?" Stefan asked, hoping to buy time for Elena. But he was horrified when he saw Peter pull his arm out of his sleeve. He reached to grab a knife from the counter, knowing that Elena was not going to run, and cut a thin slice down his wrist. Grabbing her by the waist, he brought it up to her mouth and forced his blood into her system.

Elena struggled to get out of his grasp, but it was to no avail. She felt his blood rush down her throat as she fought the urge to gag. Her tears rushed down even faster as she realized that she had no option anymore. She was going to be a vampire. When Peter had given her enough, he brought his wrist down and gave the young vampire a nod.

"I promise you'll see her alive again. My blood is stronger—it should stay in her system for at least a week. And the full moon is tomorrow, so you should see her again within three days."

"She won't be alive! She'll be a vampire!" Stefan yelled at the original. Suddenly the vampire pushed his foot out to kick the stake in even further, and Stefan screeched in pain.

"I'm truly sorry about that. But I have no other choice. Goodbye Mr. Salvatore."

Stefan watched in horror as Peter pulled Elena through the door. The fear and grief on her face broke his heart, and he felt guilt flood his system. She had been right. He wasn't able to keep his promise. And he might never be able to make it up to her.

* * *

So how was it? I don't really like the end of it, it seems like Peter just shows up out of nowhere. But I guess that's how it's supposed to go... I don't know, just something feels off to me. I would love if you guys would give me some helpful feedback to make it even better :) feedback is love, people! So read and review!

-kiki :)

btw: is it September yet?


	27. Why?

Hey guys :) So I know I haven't updated in a long time, but I had to go to camp, and my internet has been down for the past week :/ don't you just hate technology? But anyways, I hope you liked the last chapter, since I wrote it almost a month ago! But here's the next one; it starts off right after Peter gives her his blood and they start to leave :) Here's chapter 27!

* * *

Elena could hear her heart beating in her ears as Peter pulled her through the door—seeming to taunt her, reminding her that it wouldn't be beating much longer. She saw the dark Mercedes in front of her house, and before she knew what was going on Peter practically threw her into the passenger's seat. Tears were running down her face, and she felt empty.

"You will not talk during the ride, do you understand?" Peter asked as he gazed into her eyes—not compelling her, but scaring her into silence for a while. But a few minutes down the road, Elena had calmed down enough to speak to her future murderer.

"Why are you doing this?" she whispered, knowing that he would hear her.

"I thought I told you not to talk", he growled at her.

"And I thought I told _you _to go to hell, but obviously that didn't happen", Elena returned, and amazingly he let out a long sigh.

"I told your boyfriend at the house. I owe Klaus my life, and you were the only way to repay him. I'm sorry that you were brought in to this, but there was really no other choice."

Elena didn't know what to say. As angry as she was at him for killing Jenna, she was thankful that he knew that what he was doing was wrong. It would've been worse if he wouldn't have been remorseful.

"How did you do all that stuff to me?" Elena asked, curious about the night at the grill, hoping that he was still in a good enough mood to answer her question.

"What 'stuff'?"

"You suffocated me by looking at me, and then knocked me out in my room. How did you do that?"

Peter stared long and hard at her, trying to figure out whether she was serious. He had compelled her to forget—so how was it that she remembered what he'd done to her? He took another deep breath, and replied, "It's a perk of being an original, and a disadvantage of being the doppelganger."

"I'm pretty sure that just being the doppelganger disadvantages me enough", Elena mumbled, "But that still doesn't explain why you could knock me out by looking at me."

Peter sighed for the umpteenth time as the young human's questions began to annoy him. But he figured that she would be dead soon anyways, so he might as well answer her questions. "Because I was part of the original family of vampires for whom the curse was set, I am able to control you in ways that other vampires are unable to—such as another form of mind control that incapacitates you."

"So basically your family pissed off the wrong witch—so she retaliated by making it as easy as possible to control the doppelganger that has to be used to break the curse? That doesn't seem very poetic to me."

"When you put it that way it sounds rather pathetic, but I guess that's true."

Elena eyed him, and determined that he was, indeed, serious. "Why only the doppelganger, though? Why not any other human?"

"When the curse was placed on my family, it created a bond between our bloodline and the Petrova bloodline—making it easier to control any Petrova doppelganger as they were born throughout the centuries", Peter explained, but he knew that she was not yet done. He could see the glint of curiosity in her eyes, and before he even had time to silence her, Elena was already asking her next question.

"Ok, that's great. But if you can knock me out like that, why did you need to drug me in Tennessee? Couldn't you have just looked at me, or something?"

"I could have, but I was exhausted from being thrown out a window twice and beaten up by your boyfriends", Peter said. Elena rolled her eyes, and Peter regained his serious composure, "When I use the bond between us to cause you to pass out, it weakens me—and having already done it twice in two day s I was already very weak. And it would have only kept you unconscious for at most 3 hours, and I needed you to sleep for quite a while."

Elena was pacified with his answers for the moment. But as soon as silence spread through the car, she heard Jenna's final gasps of air as the life was drained out of her and the final snap of Aria's delicate neck echoing through her head. Tears ran silently down her face again as they had almost constantly for the past 2 days. She willed herself to go to sleep and it finally found her—but her dreams brought her no peace, only more memories of the death that followed her.

* * *

Damon awoke to the obnoxious sound of his phone ringing. He pulled himself off the couch—which he had passed out on, drunk, after Stefan and Elena had left. As he stood up, he could already feel a headache coming on. 'I guess drowning my sorrows in alcohol isn't as effective as I thought', he mused to himself. He walked over to the table and reached for his phone, answering the call before it even made its way to his ear.

The first thing he heard was a stream of obscenities (directed towards him, of course) by Saint Stefan: "Why the hell didn't you answer your damn phone? I've been calling for 10 damn minutes! Elena's freaking missing and all you can think about is the slut you're probably draining right now? Don't you ever think about anyone other than your own damn self?"

"Ok, Stefan. First of all, I'm not draining a sorority girl—just the nearest bottle of alcohol. And second of all, why the hell would—wait. Did you say that Elena was missing?" Damon asked frantically, hoping he wasn't going to need more alcohol to go with whatever stunt she'd pulled this time.

"YES! Peter killed Jenna and is taking Elena to Klaus right now! Now where the hell are you?"

Damon was already grabbing his leather jacket and heading out to his car as he replied, "I'm at home. Where are you?"

"At Elena's house. He staked me in the back—how fast can you get here?"

"Ten minutes top. But why didn't Jeremy take it out for you?" Damon asked, puzzled as to where the little human was.

"He never came home. Have you heard from him?" Damon started to feel uneasy, but then realized that he was probably with his new girlfriend—judgy. Who could've seen _that_ one coming? "I'll call Bonnie and see if he's with her."

He heard Stefan groan through the phone—obviously the human stuff hadn't helped much—and sped up the car until he was going 20 miles above the speed limit. "Great, you get on that. How far away are you?" Stefan moaned, the stake in his chest sending a burning sensation throughout his entire body. Suddenly, the front door flew open and Damon was at his brother's side pulling the stake out. Stefan groaned and rolled onto his back, and sat up as the pain subsided.

"I'm here, let's go. We've got a doppelganger to find", Damon said with assurance. He pulled Stefan to his feet, but before they could walk out the door Damon felt a hand pulling his arm back—a hand that belonged to Stefan. "What the hell are you doing? We've got to go save her!"

"Peter gave Elena his blood, Damon."

Damon's eyes widened as he realized what this meant for Elena. "That means if we don't get there in time….", Damon trailed off, knowing that Stefan would finish the sentence for him.

"She'll turn into a vampire."

* * *

There it is :) not much of a cliffhanger there, but whatever. I hope you liked it :) I'll try to update faster next time, but there's not much I can do when my internet is being bipolar. The next few chapters are going to be a wild ride, so everyone get ready! As always, feedback is love, people :) so read and review!

-kiki :)

Btw: We have an official premiere date for episode one of season 3, you guys! September 15th! That means 86 days until we get to see what the heck Klaus wants Stefan for, and how Elena's going to react to everything that's happened (especially when she finds out her brother died and sees ghosts! I can't wait for _that _bombshell to drop!). Or we could look it this way, since 86 is an oftly large number. We have 13 Vampire Diarie-less Thursdays until the premiere! :D but that's still a big # :(


	28. Klaus

Hey everybody! First of all, let me preface this note by saying that I am _SUPER DUPER SORRY _that I haven't updated in so long. I'm horrible, I suck, you can hate me for it later. Or now-whatever makes ya happy :} but I've just had absolutely no desire to writer for (what has it been?) a month [or so], so this took me a while to start out on...But, now that I've gotten it all down, I kind of love this chapter. I don't really know why, maybe it's just that it felt good to get my ramblings down on 'paper' again, or maybe it's all the angst I threw in with Elena. I don't know. But I love it, and I hope you do, too :) So here it is-after almost a month, here's the next chapter of the Power of the Sacrifice! :)

* * *

Elena woke up to the sound of gravel beneath the car. Knowing that the end wasn't very far away, she slowly opened her eyes, attempting to grasp hold of anything familiar in the dark surrounding landscape. She lifted her head from its previous perch against the window and was brought back to Damon's surprise trip to Atlanta—her _first _timeout—hoping to god that when she turned her head to the driver's seat, it would be anyone other than Peter that she was looking at. But as she craned her neck to peer at the other side of the car, depression swept through her as she looked into the unforgiving eyes of her kidnapper.

"I see you're finally awake", Peter stated from behind the wheel. The ancient vampire could feel the waves of hatred coming off the young doppelganger, and he immediately sated her emotions. "If you're looking for an explanation as to why I killed your aunt, you are not going to get one from me."

Elena felt like crying as her feelings began to hit her like a freight-train again. She could barely breathe as she was captivated by hatred, sorrow, guilt, and pretty much any other depressing emotion known to man. If she couldn't keep her emotions under control as a human, how in the world would she be able to keep them in check as a vampire?

As these dull musings ran through her mind at light speed, it didn't even register when the car eased to a stop. Her mind froze as she looked over at the original, whose face was suddenly wearing a grim, worried expression—as opposed to his normal "classy with a touch of cocky" face. Just as she was about to ask Peter what was going on, he was yanking her out of the car.

Before she knew what was happening, she felt the burn of the ropes being tied around her hands, yelping in pain as the roughness cut through her thin skin. Suddenly, he was standing in front of her as his hands slinked around her neck. Panic shot through her, thinking he intended to kill her; but even as she discovered his true intentions, she was still petrified. She felt as the clasp on her necklace was undone, the cold metal sliding around her throat until the one thing keeping her safe was sitting in Peter's deadly hands.

Her body was shaking so fast that she was nearly vibrating, and Elena could feel waves of terror crashing into her as the original vampire gazed deep into her eyes. "What are you…" she began, but was silenced as Peter began to speak—this time, actually compelling her

"You will not speak unless spoken to. You will not move unless I tell you to. Do you understand?" Peter commanded, his even voice the only thing that Elena could hear. But even as she agreed in a monotonous voice which practically sealed her death sentence, she could hear the hint of fear in Peter's instructions. And if _Peter _was scared, then she was rooted to the spot in pure terror.

"Good. Come with me", Peter instructed as he led her to a small cabin situated on the brink of the forest they'd previously been driving through. If she wasn't aware of the fact that the most dangerous vampire in history was sitting just inside the doors of the quaint building, she would have actually thought it quite adorable. It was a log cabin with rustic décor. The windows were framed by beautifully crafted shutters, painted a dark green—as though trying to imitate the darkness the cabin was located in. There was a tiny stream running through what most people would call the front yard, and she could see adorable flowers growing along the edge as fish swam between the rocks in the mountain brook. On the front porch, there were two rocking chairs and an American flag that danced in the cool breeze that swept through the trees.

Elena could imagine living here—sitting on the front porch with Stefan on a warm summer night, just listening to nature and taking it in—attempting to heal from the pain and horror of her life. But that reminded her of the weekend at her lake house, and the werewolves' attempts to kidnap her in order to break the very same curse she would be breaking tomorrow night. Then she realized the truth: if she _did_ manage to survive the sacrifice, whether she was human or vampire, her life would never be normal. She had been through too much for her life to ever return to normal.

Peter slowly walked the young doppelganger up the stairs of the porch. He could tell that she was exhausted by the slow speed at which she walked. As the two reached the front door, he was almost sad that he was about to lose her to Klaus. The doppelganger had managed to steal a small space in his heart—granted, not enough to prevent him from handing her over to her executioner, but enough that he would miss her when she was dead. Of course, he wasn't sure if the area she occupied was love, or if he would only miss the delicious taste of her blood when she was no longer human. He assumed it was the latter.

As his hand reached up to knock on the door, it opened to reveal a young man. He was probably in his late-twenties or early-thirties, but Peter immediately recognized the dark-haired human to be Maddox—one of Klaus' witches. Peter could tell that the warlock was about to speak, when suddenly a grand voice broke through the silence.

"Who is it, Maddox?" the voice asked. Maddox raised his chin in a regal manner, and replied.

"Your guests have arrived, master." Peter could practically feel the fear coming off of Elena as he held her in his steady grasp. As a blonde man made his appearance in the doorway of the cabin, he saw Elena's reaction out of the corner of his eye.

Her eyes widened until they were practically twice their normal size. Her jaw went slack, and he could sense her breathing and heart rate speed-up. "_Klaus_", she uttered breathlessly as her fear magnified to levels high enough to push her into unconsciousness.

Klaus smirked, as his short, wavy hair fluttered in the breeze, loving when he pulled this sort of reaction out of his victims. The original was filled with a feeling of accomplishment, knowing that the curse he had been bound to for nearly a millennia was finally within his reach. "I see you've heard of me", he said with a sick fascination, his accent so British that it _reeked _of old money, "But I've only heard rumors of you, my dear. What is your name?"

Elena's breath caught in her throat. "E-Elena. Elena Gilbert", she stuttered, silently cursing herself as she gave out her last name. If she screwed anything up, her last name would make it even easier for Klaus to find and kill everyone she loved.

Klaus could see the fear on her face, and he laughed as she stumbled over her own name. "I am Klaus. And you, my dear, are as good as dead."

* * *

Ok, so did you love it as much as I did? I hope so :) As you know, I've kind of been going crazy hypothesizing and speculating next season (so much so that I haven't even started on my 5 books/essays/projects I have to do before I go back to school...in 3 weeks...) so that's _probably _why it's been such a pain in the ass to keep going on this story, and my other story _Revenge of the Kat_ (that's my version of product placement-since we know that's the Vampire Diaries favorite thing in the world. MiFi, anybody? Who wants an amazingly awesome Ford Focus like Caroline? I know _I_ do!) But I'm going to try to get these stories going again, but as soon as the school year starts, I can't make any promises. I'm in high school, and it's quite possible that I'm going to have 4 AP classes when I get back. So yeah, who can't wait til college? Ha, just kidding :) anyways, I hope you liked it :) Please read and review, it keeps me going! If I hadn't gotten my amazing reviews for my last few chapters, I might have just given up on this story :) So thank you all _sooo _much for supporting me! I appreciate it so much, and love you guys for it!

-kiki :)

ps: One good thing about me updating this late is that we have gone from 86 days until the premiere to 61 days until the premiere! Who's excited? MEE! Oh, and I got the pleasure of visiting Covington (where they film the show) a couple weeks ago, and it's pretty cool to rewatch the episodes. It's like "I'VE BEEN THERE! I'VE SEEN THAT! I SAT ON THE SAME BENCH AS IAN SOMERHAULDER!" And I'm a Paul Wesley fan, so that's saying a lot right there :) and you know what's funny? The Mystic Grill is actually in the square and they use the outside of the building for filming, but inside, it's really a law firm. Wow. Haha :) but yeah, I think that's then end of my rambling :)


	29. Oh Shit

_"I am Klaus. And you, my dear, are as good as dead."_

Elena's breath caught in her chest. She could have sworn that she was having a heart attack as the need to collapse rushed to the front of her mind. But before she could do anything of the sort, the original with the satiny voice spoke again.

"I seem to have left her speechless," Klaus chuckled as he reached to grasp the doppelganger's arm. As soon as his velvety skin touched hers, an electric current ran through her body, causing her to jerk away from the offending limb. The only person that caused a spark like that was Stefan, but their love made the electricity addicting and wondrous—Klaus's made her want to run away as fast as possible. As Elena's thoughts morphed towards Stefan, she felt tears rush towards her eyes as she realized everything she would lose.

Suddenly, she remembered that she was standing with three creatures that could kill her with the flick of a wrist and hoped Klaus hadn't noticed her repulsion.

He had.

His once cheery demeanor had changed into a cold mask of indifference—one that scared Elena even more than the happy-go-lucky attitude. This was the man—no, the demon—that was going to kill her, and she'd made him angry. "Well, apparently she isn't one for fun. And to think I had a whole night planned out for us to enjoy before the sacrifice. What a pity", Klaus murmured, "Anyways, Ms. Gilbert, won't you come inside?"

If it was even possible, Elena's eyes grew to monumental sizes as she was pulled inside by an invisible force. Maddox grabbed her by the wrist and pushed her onto the couch in front of the fire, then retreated to stand next to Klaus again. She opened her mouth to beg Peter to save her, but Klaus's focus had shifted from her to the original on the front porch.

Peter was practically shaking in his boots as he said, "I did exactly as you told me, Klaus. My job's done."

Klaus chuckled—which Elena had learned was _not _a good sign—and turned to look at his trusty warlock before returning his gaze to Peter. "Yes, of course."

"That means I may leave."

Another chuckle. "Not quite. You see, I hate having loose ends. And you, my friend, are a loose end. Maddox, you know what to do."

Peter growled before he spun on his heel and raced to the safety of the forest—but to no avail. As soon as Maddox looked at Peter, the elder vampire fell to the ground in a fit of agony. Klaus slowly sauntered out of the house towards his fallen comrade, and knelt to the ground in front of the dying vampire.

"Peter, Peter, Peter… You should have learned years ago that I never hold on to liabilities. It would have saved you a lot of trouble. So now, I say goodbye to you—as your authority, as your friend, and as your brother." The last he emphasized as he pulled his arm back and plunged it into Peter's chest. Elena gasped as she saw the life fade from Peter's body just as Klaus ripped his hand out, holding Peter's once beating heart in his hand.

Klaus dropped the bloody organ to the ground and stood up. Within milliseconds, he was back in the cabin watching Elena struggle to understand what had just occurred.

Why was she so upset over Peter's death? He had killed her friend, and almost killed her enough times to get her a free one way ticket to an asylum. Yet she couldn't help but feel that she had lost the one person that would be able to rescue her from this hell-hole.

As her breathing calmed and she found she was able to see through the tears she hadn't noticed she'd been crying, she glanced up and found Klaus's eyes a mere foot from hers. Yet again, she felt that uncomfortable electric spark and leapt nearly a foot in the air before burying herself in the couch cushions as far from the original as possible.

"Well, I can tell this isn't going to be entertaining", Klaus stated, already growing tired of her antics, "Maddox, why don't you show our _guest _to her living quarters."

By Maddox's sly grin, Elena could tell that where she would be staying was nowhere to write home about.

She was right.

As Maddox led her down a flight of stairs, the environment seemed to get darker and damper. 'A basement. Great. I'm going to die in a basement', Elena thought to herself as she attempted to keep her breathing calm.

But it wasn't a basement. It was a dungeon—well, sort of. The walls were solid stone that she guessed had been cut directly into the mountain side. The floor was a rock-hard cement that she couldn't be able to dig out of if she had a lifetime, let alone a few days. There were chains and a solid steel cell door—and it reminded her of the Salvatore basement.

Maddox tossed her into a corner and proceeded to lock her into the chains on the wall. Elena tried to see the good in him, tried to convince herself that he was compelled or blackmailed into helping Klaus, but could find none. His smirk as he walked out and slammed the cell door shut confirmed her suspicions. She tried to think of a Plan A, B, or C, but she realized three things:

1) Maddox would be no help,

2) Stefan and Damon didn't even know where she was, and Klaus probably had a spell to block her location from Bonnie, and

3) She had less than a day left until the bastard upstairs drained her dry.

Yep. She _was _as good as dead.

* * *

Wha...Woah! I don't understand what's going on right now. This...This THING has invaded my computer screen with a...what the heck is this thing?Is it an...what's the word again? Update? Yes! It is! I originally had planned for this to be a short chapter-mainly because I had absolutely NO idea what I was going to write-but then it kind of turned into a reasonably sized chapter :) Okay, moving on. So here's my crappy excuse for why I haven't update since July. First of all, I had writer's block again. I just hit a road block, and it literally took me staring at the screen for 5 months straight to even come up with SOME resemblance of a story line. Second of all, I literally have barely had a minute to write this since school started. I ended up having 3 AP classes at one time (not fun. I wouldn't recommend it.) and almost failing one of them, so study time took up a majority of my time this semester. In addition to that, being a section leader in the marching band literally took up over 76% of my time up until November, and then I had to get all of my grades up because I was failing approximately 3 classes. Not a proud moment... but still, I admit that it's a _really _shitty excuse for the lack of updates, and for that I apologize. If anyone's even reading this story anymore, you guys are the BEST supporters, and I let you down :( But Christmas break is literally next week, so I'm going to try to update a bunch to make up for my absolute horribleness. But anyways, I hope this chapter wasn't a disappointment! If you want to leave a review, that would be _AMAZING_, or if you want to leave hate mail for me being such a horrible person, that's cool too :} just try not to litter up the review pages with "I hate you for being such a bad person and making me wait FOREVER for an update" comments... I'm not even going to write my whole "feedback is love people, so read and review" because I don't deserve your amazing feedback. I'm horrible. I suck. I am an absolutely horrible person that doesn't even deserve to be literate, let alone have amazing people like YOU GUYS reading my stories.

-kiki :)

btw: I DO plan on continuing this story _and _my other story, "Revenge of the Kat", I just need to find the time to write it. So, just try to consider the last 5 months as the story's hellatus (kind of like the show is on right now), and maybe you won't hate me so much :} maybe...hopefully...Is anybody even reading this anymore?

ps: WHO THINKS THIS SEASON IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING? Well, except I miss the real Stefan. But other than that, I think it's pretty damn good :) opinions? Okay, now I'm just reaching for comments. You know what, if you're actually reading this authors note, you're the best :) I'll try not to disappoint you again! Sheesh. I suck.


	30. One Person

Hey guys :) I know I haven't updated in about 2 weeks, but I think I've come up with a plan. I'm going to update this story this week, and Revenge of the Kat next week, then this one in 2 weeks and so on. That way I won't get bogged down with updates on two stories every week! Does that sound more acceptable than a super long story hiatus? I hope so! Oh, and thank you all for the encouraging reviews! I'm so glad I still have people out there reading-it makes me want to start writing again! It's getting easier to write again, so I won't be taking 5 month long breaks again :} sorry about that again, by the way! Anyways, here's chapter 30. There isn't really any action in this chapter, more of a set up for the sacrifice. But there is some Klaus-Elena stuff and there's a set up for a favorite character's cameo next chapter! Anyways, here's the next chapter!

* * *

"There has to be _some _way to find out where she is, Bonnie!" Stefan growled. His usual 'calm, cool, and collected' demeanor had transformed into a desperate plea for help as time began to run out for Elena. Caroline, Ric, Jeremy, and Bonnie had shown up as soon as Stefan and Damon called. While everyone else worked on gearing up for the potential blood-bath, Bonnie and Stefan were busy trying to locate Elena. It had been 4 hours of locator spells, but nothing was working. It had also been 4 hours of pure hell for Stefan, and the group could tell that it was wearing on his nerves.

"I'm sorry Stefan, I wish there was," Bonnie replied with tears in her eyes, "but Klaus has to have a really strong witch to break the curse, so I'm sure she has enough power to block my power from Elena. Trust me, I want to find her just as badly as you do, but it's not going to happen—at least not with my magic."

Stefan looked down at the floor and whispered, "It has to work, Bonnie. I can't lose her. I don't know what I'd do without her." Although he had been annoying her for hours, she knew it was because he was worried and scared. Bonnie's face softened, and she leaned forward and laid a hand on Stefan's forearm, looking deep into his eyes.

"I know, Stefan. I know. We're gonna save her, okay? We just have to find another way," Bonnie assured him, "and we will! We always do."

At that moment, Damon and Caroline decided to walk into the library where Bonnie and Stefan were working. After pouring himself some bourbon, he leaped onto the couch next to the Caroline and the witch.

"Any news? Do we know where our damsel is yet?" Damon said sarcastically, but even he couldn't hide his anxiousness behind his well constructed façade.

"The spell isn't working, Damon", Bonnie stated. Caroline let out a strangled sigh, while Damon jumped right down the witch's throat.

"What the hell do you mean 'the spell isn't working'? Make it work!" Damon demanded.

"I can't. Klaus's witch is blocking me from being able to locate Elena. It's not going to work. You're going to have to find another way."

Stefan, Caroline, and Bonnie all jumped when Damon slammed his glass down on the table and grimaced, "Unbelievable!"

While the rest of the group sat in anger, Caroline was deep in thought. Jumping to her feet, she started talking. "You know what? Who cares if the spell didn't work? Bonnie's magic has screwed up before and we _still _came out on top! What makes this any different?"

Stefan looked up from his chair in the corner. "Maybe the fact that Elena's life is on the line, Caroline. If we don't get there in time she could die. And we don't even know where 'there' is!"

"Well who would?" Caroline asked, but when she was faced with three blank stares, she continued, "Who is the one person that has _always _been one step ahead? That's been outrunning Klaus for over 5 centuries?"

Damon leaned back into the sofa and took a sip from his drink and grinned, "Katherine."

"Exactly!" Caroline yelled, "Do you really think she would come to Mystic Falls without knowing where Klaus was first? If anyone knows where he is, it's Katherine. And if we find Klaus…"

"We find Elena."

* * *

Something was tapping her face. Elena didn't know what it was, but after 5 minutes of a light knocking on her cheek, it started to get annoying. She felt like she'd been hit by a freight train and thrown off a twenty story building, but when she considered her sleeping arrangements it was unsurprising.

"Miss Gilbert, wakey wakey," a soft British accent scolded, "Oh please! You've been asleep for over 8 hours! How much time do you need, anyways?"

"After the hell you and Peter have put me through the past 3 weeks, eight hours isn't even a fraction of the amount of sleep I need," Elena whispered viciously to the vampire. After hearing a small chuckle, she slowly opened her eyes. Sure enough, Klaus was less than a foot away from her, and she immediately catapulted herself away from the ancient man.

"Shy, I see. Well that just won't do," Klaus grinned, "I thought we should have a nice hike today before the sacrifice."

"I'd rather rip my own heart out," Elena spat at him.

"Well that can certainly be arranged," Klaus chuckled. Apparently the knowledge that he was about to be free of the pain from the sun's rays was lightening his mood.

"It's not enough that you're going to kill me, you have to torture me, too?" Elena griped as Klaus reached up and took the chains off of her arms. As soon as her limbs dropped to the floor, excruciating pain shot through them while the blood rushed back to her cold fingertips.

"Dear, it's not torture. I like to get to know a woman before I sacrifice her on an altar. Although, I can hardly consider you a woman—you're yet to be even eighteen, or am I mistaken?"

Elena deflected her teary eyes from Klaus's as she said, "I'd turn eighteen in June."

"Such a pity. If I cared about human life, I might have let you go. But seeing though I don't give a damn whether you live, I'll return to my previous offer. How about we get out of this dark, dingy hell-hole and take a hike. The forest is beautiful this time of year, and I figure you don't want to stay down here on the last day of your life."

Elena turned to look into his face, and was surprised to see a genuine smile grace his features. She thought for a moment, then made up her mind. "Sure. Let's go."

* * *

So that's it for now! I'm going to update my other story next week, and in two weeks I'll update this one :) I go back to school next week, so it might be difficult but I _might _be able to update both next weekend. MIGHT. No promises-I still have 2 AP classes and 3 instruments to practice every night! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter :) If so, I'd love to see your comments and opinions! If you like the way the story's going, tell me. If you don't, still tell me-I _love _criticism! Just make sure it's constructive, I don't want someone to tell me my writing sucks and then not tell me how to fix it. So yet again, thank you SOOO much for reviewing the last chapter, it made me want to keep this story going! Anyways, feedback is love, people! So read and review :)

-kiki :)

PS: Who watched this week's episode? OHMYGOD Elena had like 3 breakdowns (kind of)! I was soooo happy (you know I love my protagonist's breakdowns!)! But I was also really confused. When she *SPOILER ALERT* slapped Stefan, I was like YEAH! Stick it to him! But then I was like, waaaiiit...I'm not supposed to like that. But he's a jerk now, so I was happy and sad at the same time because the real Stefan is gone. :( Also, poor Jeremy. If you saw the episode, you know what I mean-but I'm not going to screw up everyone else's viewing pleasure! Oh, and has anyone been following the spoilers for next week's episode? OH GOD. Stefan and Elena's scenes? I already know I'm going to be in tears for approximately 200,000,000 hours next week. He's going to take away her choice. Oh man, I'm already crying about it! And in the promo? "Klaus took everything from me"? NUH-UH. And Elena agrees. "You had me!"-I literally cried when I saw that. URG. Nina Dobrev's acting is going to be the death of me she's so freaking good!


	31. The Beginning of the End

Klaus was right, the forest was beautiful. The leaves were bright bursts of yellow, orange, and red, and Elena could hear as if the forest were alive. But no matter how pretty it was, knowing that she'd never get to see it as a human again put a damper on its beauty. After walking for an hour filled with small talk, she finally got up the courage to ask the question that had been on her mind since she'd heard about Klaus.

"Why do you want to break the curse? I mean, you can walk in the sun, and it's not like a werewolf could hurt you if it bites you. So why do you care? I can't bring myself to believe that it's for the good of 'vampire-kind'."

Klaus shot a puzzled look her way before he chuckled. "You think I'm breaking the curse so that I can walk in the sun? I'd have thought my brother would have told you the truth before he brought you here. The curse of the sun and the moon doesn't exist. My mother cheated on my father thousands of years ago with a werewolf, so when I turned into a vampire they had to bind my werewolf side so that I couldn't hurt as many people. The sacrifice undoes the binding and allows me to reach my full potential as a hybrid born of both werewolf and vampire bloodlines."

Elena stopped walking and stared at him in shock for a moment before shaking her head and continuing. "How does it work?" Elena asked him timidly as they walked along the forest floor.

"How does the sacrifice work?" Klaus asked, laughing until he realized that the young doppelganger really had no clue, "You really haven't had anyone explain all of this to you, have you?"

"Well, everyone that could is either dead or not talking. So no, I haven't. I know that you need a witch, a vampire, a werewolf, and me, but other than that I have no clue."

"Obviously the curse has to be broken on a full moon. What very few people would be able to tell you, though, is that it must be in the birthplace of the doppelganger—so Virginia", Klaus stated, pointing at Elena. When he saw that Elena had digested that information he continued, "The sacrifice needs a witch to channel the power of the full moon through the moonstone, and a lot of chanting is involved until I kill the werewolf. Then, I sacrifice the vampire and, when the full moon reaches its apex, you."

Elena glanced down at the ground and then looked him in the eyes, whispering, "How?"

"I drain your blood to the point of your death", he replied, and when he heard her quiet intake of breath he reassured her. "Not that I particularly care how you feel, but I've heard that it feels quite like falling asleep."

Elena looked up with tears glistening in her eyes and nodded. Quietly, she said, "Can we go back now? I'm kind of thirsty."

Klaus agreed and the two walked back in the direction of the cabin. What Klaus didn't know was that Elena was plotting. And she _was _thirsty. Thirsty for revenge.

* * *

"I bet I know what you're here for." Katherine smirked from the tomb entrance. Stefan and Damon were in no laughing mood, and they could already tell that she was planning something. Stefan looked around and caught an odd scent.

"Somebody's been here lately."

"Ahh, good job Stefan. You _just _missed John by about an hour. And like I said, I'm taking a wild guess that you're here for the exact same reason that he was."

Damon rolled his eyes at Katherine's manipulation and glared. "Look, we know you know where Klaus is camping out. So just tell us and we'll be on our way. No harm done."

"Please, Damon. You know that I never do anything without getting something in return. And frankly, you two have nothing to offer me", Katherine griped.

"Oh really? Peter took Elena—but I'm sure John told you that since John seems to know everything. But what he probably couldn't tell you is that Peter gave Elena his blood—which means that when Klaus kills her you'll have to compete with her for me for the rest of eternity. Does that sound fun?" Stefan asked, knowing that Katherine would cave in as soon as he mentioned the two of them together. Sure enough, Katherine glowered at him and started talking.

"He's in the mountains. Last house in Cabin Creekwood."

"How far away is that?"

"What the hell do I look like? A GPS?" Katherine complained.

"Okay, okay. I guess you just want to fight with Elena forever. We'll get our own directions."

Katherine growled, and then yelled, "Stop! It's 3 hours away, okay? You probably won't get there in time at this rate, anyways. And if you do, Klaus will kill you if you try to stop him from breaking that curse."

Damon smirked. "See, now was that so hard? Thank you, Katherine, for the information and advice. Enjoy an eternity alone."

* * *

"We've got water, blood and orange juice. Take your pick," Maddox offered once Elena and Klaus had returned.

"Do you have anything…stronger?" Elena asked, only to be faced with scrutiny, "If you're going to kill me tonight, you might as well let me get buzzed beforehand."

Klaus nodded, so Maddox reached into the cabinet. Pulling out a plane-sized bottle of whiskey, he brought it to Elena.

"Jack Daniels? Good choice", Elena smiled, and quickly twisted off the cap—downing the entire bottle in one swallow. She set the tiny plastic container back on the table, and watched Klaus as he stood up.

"I must go retrieve the werewolf and vampire for the sacrifice. Maddox, if you could replace Miss Gilbert in her room until I get back, that would be wonderful", Klaus said with dignity as he grabbed his coat and sped out of the cabin. While Maddox was facing the door, Elena quickly grabbed the empty bottle and shoved it in her pocket, just seconds before Maddox was leading her back to the dungeon.

Thankfully, the warlock forgot to chain her up when he left, giving her full movement around the room—which she needed to get ready. She pulled the whiskey bottle out of her pocket and twisted the cap off again. Searching the room, she quickly found a small rock sharp enough to break through her skin, and pulled her pant leg up. She took the rock and cut a small gash right behind her knee—large enough to get a good amount of blood into the bottle, but small enough to let Peter's blood heal it before Klaus noticed.

Elena wasn't one for revenge. But Klaus and Peter had pushed her too far-Jenna and Aria were dead, and she was soon to follow them. But vengeance wasn't her only reason for her kamikaze mission-she couldn't let another innocent girl go through this in the future or let thousands of people die because of her. Apparently, Klaus was going to turn into a hybrid, so he would inevitably make more hybrids that could in-turn kill more people. So here she was-preparing for her own transition in an original vampire's dingy basement. She hoped that she would still transition whether it was her blood or somebody else's, because she obviously had no other person to choose from.

Vampire. Elena had never wanted that. She had barely survived a year without her parents-how was she supposed to live forever without them? She didn't want to live for an eternity with the guilt and pain she'd been feeling since her parents' deaths. She loved Stefan, but she couldn't watch every person she cared about die while she lived-the sorrow would cripple her. As the bottle filled to the top with her blood, she twisted the cap back on and sealed her fate. She knew that she was going to die no matter what-either by Klaus's hand or by her own. So why not go out with a bang?

* * *

Hey everybody! I know I normally have a note at the beginning, but I just couldn't find anything to write-so I didn't! Oh, and did you see the season 2 episode references I threw in there? :) Anyways, I hope you liked the chapter and that it gave some insight into what Elena's thinking and feeling at this point. I loved writing Katherine, too-she's so much fun! Feedback is love, people! So read and review!

-kiki :)

ps: I'd give this week's episode a B-. It was good, but not up to par with the Vampire Diaries's normal craziness :P I don't know-it's just that Bonnie has been starting to bug me a little bit lately, so I wasn't _totally _thrilled about a Bonnie-centric episode-but it made me a little less annoyed with her. Oh, and Stefan and Elena's scenes made me sad again. Jeesh, when did everything get so screwed up between them? I miss the lovey-dovey opening scenes they used to have :( But on a different note, THE ENDING! Guess who's back? I'm not going to say-spoilers aren't fun when they ruin the episode. But let's just say I was screaming at the tv the whole time! :)


	32. Resolve

Okay, everybody! We're getting into the sacrifice. Are you ready for this? No? Oh well! Here we go :)

* * *

Hours passed before anyone came to retrieve Elena. She could only guess that it was around 10 at night, but that was because she had a lot of time to guesstimate. Finally, the doppelganger heard a set of footsteps pounding down the stairs outside of her cell. Sure enough, Klaus's head came into view milliseconds later. Slowly opening the door, Klaus waltzed into the damp room and Elena pulled herself to her feet.

"Are you ready, darling?" he drawled, stretching out his hand with an excited glint in his eyes. Elena took a deep breath, and set her palm in his.

"You have the vampire and the werewolf?" Elena questioned, and Klaus nodded curtly.

"Then yes. I'm ready."

And with that, the two walked hand in hand to Elena's death.

* * *

Silence filled the car as Stefan and Damon sped down the interstate towards the neighborhood Katherine had told them of. After 2 ½ hours of driving, Stefan finally spotted a sign that said "Cabin Creekwood—Next Exit".

"Since when do we listen to Katherine?" Damon griped as Stefan steered the car off the ramp and onto a deserted road that looked like it didn't even have a gas station for miles, let alone an entire neighborhood.

"Since she was our only choice," Stefan replied, only to be met by scrutiny. "Let's face it, Bonnie's spell couldn't work. Katherine was our last resort—and why would she lie? We threatened her with Elena's eternal life."

Damon sighed, and Stefan could tell that he was successfully hiding his worry and anger—the opposite of what Stefan had been doing for the past few hours. Normally the peaceful, "brooding" brother, Stefan had been on-edge and angry since Peter had left with Elena.

As the car flew down the godforsaken highway at speeds twice as high as the speed limit, Stefan grew thankful that there were no other cars in the desolate forest. After twenty more minutes of driving, the brothers saw the first sign of civilization since exiting the interstate: a small sign with the words "Cabin Creekwood" in bold lettering.

Stefan had worried that there would be dozens of roads to the back of the neighborhood, but as he drove down the lane he realized there was one road. Granted, there were only driveways every 5 minutes or so, but there was still only one road to choose from. As the duo got to the final cul-de-saq, they saw the last driveway on the road. Unsurprisingly, there John's car was parked in the circle.

Damon looked over at Stefan, and could practically see the moment his emotions had switched from worry and fear to pure determination. With a nod of the head, Stefan turned the car off and wrenched the keys out of the ignition. The brothers stepped out of the car, and with a slam of doors, they set off into the woods—in search of the love of their lives.

* * *

Elena could vaguely see the entrance to a clearing. The closer they got to the clearing, the more she could make out, and the first thing she saw was flames—lots and lots of flames.

"Fire?" Elena quietly asked.

"Earth, water, and fire—all necessary elements to break the curse," Klaus replied, and seconds later the two walked into the large circle of trees.

Elena nodded and sighed. "Too many requirements, if you ask me," she mumbled.

"I'd have to agree," Klaus chuckled, but quickly realized that Elena's attention had been redirected to the three other beings. Sparing Maddox a glance at the stone vessel, she looked towards the first fire ring housing the werewolf. Looking closer, it was a woman—Jules, maybe? Yes. And it looked like she was in a lot of pain. "Maddox has postponed her transformation in order to break the curse," Klaus explained when he noticed her confusion.

Slowly, Elena turned her head towards the second ring of fire that supposedly held the vampire, and gasped. It was John. Wrenching herself out of Klaus's grasp, she ran over to her uncle and choked as his eyes developed the tell-tale veins and red-hue of a vampire. "Get away from me, Elena," John growled as he struggled to maintain his control. Granted, the circle was likely spelled so that he couldn't hurt her even if he wanted, but it still frightened her into taking a few steps back—only to be encircled by flames like the others.

Spinning on her heel, she turned to face the now-smirking Klaus. "Why?" she yelled with tears dripping out of the corners of her eyes, "I did everything you asked. I walked _willingly _to this stupid ritual!"

"My dear, I believe I emphasized the fact that I don't give a damn about your feelings. He was coming to rescue you, and just happened to be the closest turnable person in the vicinity. Besides, Maddox was a voluntary blood source, so why waste a perfectly good vampire when I could create one that wanted to die, anyways," Klaus replied, but by the look eyes Elena could tell that he'd done it specifically to hurt her. Successfully ending the conversation, Klaus turned to Maddox and the two spoke in hushed voices. Elena returned her attention to John.

"John, you're going to be okay, do you understand? Stefan and Damon are probably on their way right now, and they'll get us both out of here!"

John looked into his daughter's eyes and laughed. "Do you really think the Salvatore brothers can save us from this? They couldn't hurt a fly, let alone the most powerful vampire in the world. And besides, I'd rather die than be a monster for the rest of eternity."

Elena stared, dumbfounded, at her uncle—shocked at his outright statement—and the tears began to flow more freely. "You can't really believe that. I mean…Sure, being a vampire isn't ideal, but it's better than being dead!

"No it's not, Elena. And I know you agree with me—no matter how much you want to deny it. I just wish that you didn't have to go through this. I should have been able to stop him, and then you could live the rest of your life in peace."

"This isn't your fault, John," Elena assured him as tears ran down her face, "There's nothing you could have done to stop this. It's my destiny to die in this sacrifice."

"None of this is destined, Elena. You couldn't have been destined to go through all of this at such a young age. I refuse to believe that."

Suddenly, Klaus was beside the father-daughter pair. The tears Elena was crying stopped flowing as she glared at the original, her breaths coming in pants and her fists clenched at her sides—but Klaus barely seemed to notice.

"It is time."

* * *

Okay, so the sacrifice is pretty much the same as in the show so far, but we're going to change it up a little bit :) Obviously, I replaced Jenna with John, though! I really wanted to keep it true to the show because I know that we'd get pretty freaked out if it were different. Plus, I LOVED the sacrifice last season, so why would I want to change it? (I think it goes without saying since I'm writing on fanfiction, but I don't own any of the characters, scenes, lines, etc. from the vampire diaries.) ANYWAYS, I hope you liked it, next chapter we're _really _getting down to the sacrifice...and a BIG surprise! Any guesses what it's going to be? Anybody? Okay, as always feedback is love, people! So read and review :)

-kiki :)

ps: Elijah+Stefan+Damon+Klaus all in the same room=HEAVEN! I still hate Klaus, but he's pretty freaking hot! Caroline broke my heart :( And of course, Elena's breakdown was awesome! Why is Nina Dobrev so good at crying? I was in tears! On another note, the Original family is insane! This week's episode is going to be kick A**! I'M SO EXCITED! :D


	33. In the End

Hey everybody! Thanks for the great reviews, and here's the next chapter! It's a bit shorter, but that's because I split up the rest of the sacrifice into two chapters. So here we go!

* * *

Chanting filled the air as the flames rose around the trio. Elena's hair whipped around her face, and she watched as Klaus sauntered over to the werewolf. Even though Jules had tried to kill her best friend, she still found herself pitying the helpless werewolf. If Elena survived the ritual, she still wouldn't survive her transformation. It seemed like she was a magnet for catastrophes and sadness.

She was still grieving Jenna's death and she could already sense the dread of Jules' death on her conscience. Hell, she felt sorry for Peter—and he was the reason all of this was happening. The list of deaths she had caused seemed to get longer every week, and Elena knew that the moment her emotions were heightened to vampire level she would snap.

Elena was quickly brought out of her musings as Maddox's chanting died down. Slowly, the enflamed circle around the werewolf receded. Jules looked up at the original with fear sweeping across her features, and Elena could tell she was about to flee. However, before the woman could even get to her feet, Klaus was kneeling in front of her with his hand shoved through her chest. Elena gasped, and a strangled sound made its way out of Jules' throat as the life faded from her body.

John's eyes were filled with sorrow as the original ripped the werewolf's heart out and walked to the stone pedestal. Klaus dropped the heart into the large bowl, and smiled menacingly as Maddox continued to pour various liquids. Turning a full 180 degrees to face the terrified doppelganger and her father, he shot the same thousand-kilowatt smile to them, nearly laughing as he saw the pain and fear flitting across their faces.

As Klaus waltzed over to the father-daughter-duo, Elena's fear began to turn into anger. What gave this original-douche the right to take away another family member from her? However, as much pride as Elena possessed, she wasn't against begging when John's life was on the line. "Please, Klaus. _Please _don't do this!" Elena gasped, begging for her father, since he seemed incapable of doing it himself. "I'll do anything—just _let him go_!"

Klaus cocked his head to the side, which only served to infuriate Elena more. "Ms. Gilbert. I have been waiting for this curse to be broken for over a thousand years. I am not about to stop this sacrifice to save your family unit."

With this snide comment, Elena felt her temper break. "What family unit? My parents are dead, and your brother killed my aunt!" Elena yelled, choosing to leave Jeremy out, "John is all I have left. Please don't take him from me." Elena knew that John was staring at her, but she couldn't find it in her to meet his eyes while she was waiting for Klaus's decision. But as hopeful as she normally was, she knew that the chance that Klaus would call this off was slim to none.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that, Elena. I'm sure you'll recover."

As the ring of fire began to disappear from around John, Elena frantically scrambled to the edge—breathing heavily as she tried to get to her father for one final time. "No. no, no, no, no!_ Please_!" Elena screamed at the original as he walked towards John. Realizing that her screeches and sobs were affecting nothing, she redirected her efforts. "John! I forgive you…for everything. I hope you know that."

John looked at Elena, and for the first time ever he felt like he could truly see his daughter for what she was: a strong, independent, beautiful young woman. And just as he was about to reassure her, he felt Klaus's arm rip through his chest. The last thing he felt before Klaus ended his existence was a single tear roll down his cheek, and finally death.

Watching another family member die in front of her eyes, Elena fell to the ground, letting out a tortured scream.

* * *

Okay, I know it was short :( But hey, the next few chapters are going to be insane (and a lot longer!), so I hope it makes up for the lack of words in this chapter. I just felt like this was where the sacrifice needed to be cut off, because otherwise it would have been over 2,000 words long-_way _longer than normal! Anyways, I hope the sacrifice scenes are serving justice to the show, because the show did it perfectly. Feedback is love people, so read and review!

-kiki :)

ps: I give last week's episode an A. Not an A+ like the week before, but still really good :) As much as I love Elena, I still think she was a little harsh. She called Damon and was like "Get over it, dude" and after what she said to him at the ball, she had NO right to say that. Also, it seemed like the plot lines were hard to believe, because let's face it. We knew Rebecca wasn't going to kill Elena. We knew Esther wasn't going to kill her family. And why the heck should we care that Bonnie's mom died? I didn't even like her! OH! And Bonnie, _SERIOUSLY? _How the hell is it Elena's fault that your mom was dead? Technically she had no choice in the curse (To quote Esther at the ball, "Shall you do it? Or shall I?"), and why do you care that your mom who DESERTED YOU 15 YEARS AGO is turning? She had no powers and she really didn't care about you! Heck, she barely even knew your name, Bobbie! And come on, Caroline (Who I love-Caroline shall she live forever!), _Bonnie_ is always on the losing end? _Really_? Hm. Because I'm pretty sure that Elena has lost a hell of a lot more than she has. Elena-Mom, Dad, John, Isobel, Jenna, John, kind-of-Jeremy, and counting. Bonnie-Grams. That's TOTALLY equivalent. But as much as I've bagged on a bunch of stuff in the episode, I still hold true to my belief that this episode-while not as good as "Dangerous Liasons"-was still pretty kick-ass :)


	34. Death

Stefan and Damon had been walking for a few minutes in absolute silence—listening for any sign of an impending sacrifice. One would think they ought to hear any sound they needed, but the forest seemed to come to life as soon as the sun went down.

The only thing either brother could think was that they wouldn't get to her in time—but neither would voice their qualms as they trumped through the woods. Finally after walking for an excruciatingly long amount of time, they received a sign of the sacrifice.

Elena's screams.

Speeding into action, the two brothers finally came to the scene of their nightmares. Granted, Elena was still alive, and Klaus's attention seemed to be on the podium at the edge of the clearing. Silently running to the circle of flames Elena seemed to be trapped in, Stefan tried to get Elena's attention. When she turned around, the brothers saw a broken girl—not the woman they had both fallen in love with. Just as Stefan was going to ask what happened, he saw John's lifeless body a few feet away from him.

"Oh, Elena…" Stefan whispered without drawing Klaus's attention, "It's going to be okay. We're going to get you out of here, okay?"

Elena whimpered, "No. I'm not going to let John's and Jenna's deaths be for nothing. I have to do this, Stefan."

Of course, Damon wouldn't take no for an answer. He zoomed to the fire and tried to jump through to her, but ended up in a heap 10 feet away—the combination of fire and magic too much for him. Klaus spun on his heel, fangs extended, and scowled.

"I see you two just couldn't stay away," Klaus growled, "I guess that means you'll get to see her die." And with that, the ancient vampire nodded to Maddox and Elena's saviors were thrown to the ground with what seemed like invisible stakes. Elena's previously emotionless voice painfully yelled out.

"_No!_ You can't take anyone else from me!" Elena sobbed frantically as she watched Klaus stalk closer to the Salvatore brothers.

"I can do whatever I want, sweetie," Klaus stated, then thought for a moment, "but I'll leave them this once. Now, are you ready?"

Suddenly, the fire was gone, and Klaus signaled for her to come to him with a nod of the head. When she was within arms' reach, he pulled her to him. Twisting her head to meet his eyes, Klaus had a moment of sincerity. "Thank you, Elena."

Elena glared at him through her eyelashes. "Go to hell."

Klaus slowly turned the young doppelganger around, and he finally saw the beauty and naïve bravery in her—even as tears rolled down her face. His lips found her ear, and he whispered, "Goodnight, sweetheart, goodnight…"

Softly, his lips touched the hollow at her throat and felt her pulse quicken. Fangs slid into skin, and Elena automatically felt herself weakening. As the blood was sucked from her body, she vaguely felt Klaus's arms wrap around her torso—but her senses were quickly dulling as Klaus killed her. With the last bit of strength she possessed, she shifted her eyes to Stefan's face. The last thing saw as a human was her love's face filled with pain.

And then she died.

Klaus dropped Elena's lifeless body to the ground, feeling a surge of power rush through him. He stumbled back as a crash of lightening shot through the clearing and into the original's body.

"I can feel it—the power," Klaus growled as he smiled like a psychopath. While Klaus continued to cheer about his newfound power, Damon and Stefan realized that they could move again. Stefan slowly inched his way over to Elena, and he remembered the vampire blood in her system. But somehow, this didn't manage to cheer him up anymore.

Stefan reached up to push a stray hair off of Elena's face, but as soon as he touched her face, three things happened at once.

First, Maddox fell to the ground in a boneless pile—dead. Second, Klaus let out a blood-curdling scream as his body smashed into the tree behind him. But it was the third occurrence that caused Stefan and Damon both to gasp in shock. Elena suddenly shot up gasping for breath—having been dead for less than a minute.

Elena was alive.

* * *

Okay, so another semi-short chapter. But the next one is longer-I promise! But anyways, I hope I served the show justice (yet again), because as I've said a billion times, I freaking LOVED the sacrifice scene :) So send me some comments, because the ones I got last week were great! Remember, feedback is love, people. So read and review!

-kiki :)

On another note, since there's no episode to rant about, I'm going to change it up a bit! I've been thinking about my next fan fiction (which won't be started until AFTER both of my current ones are done-I promise!), and would love some feedback! So here it is:

"After an extremely traumatizing experience in Mystic Falls, Elena runs away. She establishes herself in the New York City publication industry as the president of a prestigious book publish company and tries to forget everything that happened in Mystic Falls before she left—including her best friends and personal love triangle, the only people she had left. While the job is as close as she gets to her real dream of being a writer, she's secretly miserable. One day out of the blue, Damon/Stefan shows up and tells her to come back to Mystic Falls because the reason she left is back and threatening the town. After _extreme _hesitation, she leaves her New York life and returns with him to face the back-lash of her exit years before. As she tries to save the town and people she once loved, she also has to work through the pain, anger, and sorrow she buried years before when she left Mystic Falls for a better life."

Opinions? Comments? Critiques? I know this topic has kind of been run into the ground on the website, but I really want to have a whack at it :) I'm going to keep it as far from other stories as possible, but there's always room for overlap-especially when there are over 20,000 stories JUST on the Vampire Diaries. So PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me what you think :)


	35. Impossibilities

Hey everybody :) so this is the last part of the sacrifice, and I would say that it's a doozy! It's also twice as long as normal, so hopefully that will make up for such short updates the last few weeks! So here we go, the beginning of the end (which won't end for a while, just to let you know)!

* * *

Elena was alive.

She didn't know how. It felt like she'd died a second earlier. Looking frantically around the clearing, she realized that the once fire-lit area had become one with the night. Chest heaving and eyes adjusting, she didn't even realize the stark quiet until she felt a pair of strong hands shaking her. Her body spun towards the opposite side of the forest, and realized that Stefan and Damon were kneeling directly next to her. Their mouths were moving, and she was sure that they were saying something—but her sense of hearing seemed to have taken a vacation for a moment until she could tell what they were saying.

"Elena..." Stefan exclaimed, but it came out as a whisper to the confused doppelganger, "Elena…"

She looked him directly in the eyes, and watched as he turned to Damon. But she could barely make out a word they were saying. Was this what it felt like to transition?

"Elena!" Stefan exclaimed, and finally Elena heard more than a whisper. "Elena! How do you feel?"

She looked down at herself, and suddenly realized that she had to complete the transition if she had any hope of taking down Klaus, who was currently unconscious at the base of a large pine tree. "Fine… I think…" she whispered, but began frantically searching her pockets for the small vial of blood she had collected earlier.

"What is that?" Elena heard Stefan ask loud and clear, but she simply looked up at him with a knowing glance. Stefan nodded his head and leaned back, watching Elena unscrew the top to the flight-sized Jack Daniel's bottle.

Looking at the two brothers, she sighed. "Bottom's up."

She tipped the bottle up perpendicular to the forest floor, and drank a mouth full of her blood. But instead of relishing in the taste as she had expected, she rolled it around in her mouth experimentally. Was it okay? Did she like it? How did she feel?

Quickly realizing the answer to her internal questions, she spun around a wretched up the blood that was supposed to complete her transition—disgusted at the taste. Stefan and Damon sat, shocked, as she attempted to remove the taste from her mouth to no avail.

Looking down at the floor, Elena began to shake her head, mumbling incoherent phrases as the Salvatore brothers looked on helplessly. "I don't understand. How is this possible? Shouldn't I like blood? I'm supposed to be transitioning!"

Stefan looked like he was trying to figure everything out, also. "I don't know, Elena. Nothing like this has ever happened before."

"How do you feel?" Damon asked, repeating Stefan's earlier question. Looking down at the half-full bottle of blood still in her hands, she flexed her fingers and gripped down lightly on the bottle. However, the pressure she exerted was enough to shatter the vial into thousands of tiny crystals. She gasped, realizing that all was not as it seemed—in other words, she didn't seem to be a vampire, but there was definitely something going on.

She frantically tried to stand up, and realized all too quickly that there was indeed something amiss. It seemed as though she had super-speed—which was impossible unless she was a vampire….that didn't drink blood? Elena's confusion was evident on her face as well as Stefan's and Damon's, so she decided to test herself. Sure enough, she ran across the clearing at record speeds to grab a huge, dead white-oak tree branch. Weighing it in her hands, she brought her arm back and tossed the limb at the opposite tree—only to have the branch break into shards of wood perfect for a camp fire.

"What the hell…?" all three of the conscious beings said nearly in unison. Elena glanced down at the blood on her hands from when she broke the glass. The way she took it, if she were transitioning there was absolutely no way she would be able to stand still and lick every drop of blood off of her palms. And yet, she felt no hunger, no thirst, towards the red, viscous fluid painting her hands.

"I don't understand what's going on," Elena stated, quickly walking back over to the boys, "I'm not a vampire, but I have the powers that a vampire has. How is that possible?"

"I don't know, Elena," Stefan answered honestly, still stunned by the turn of events. Gently holding her wrist, he felt her pulse—strong as ever. Elena was human. He never thought she would make it out alive—of course, who knew how long this would last?

Suddenly, Klaus groaned and stirred at the bottom of the tree. Elena spun to face her killer, and began to breathe erratically as she watched his eyes slowly open. As soon as Elena and Klaus's eyes met, he was on his feet—years of power allowing him to heal instantaneously. "Impossible…" he muttered, confusion and awe written on his face, but his emotions swiftly switched to anger as he realized his predicament. "The curse…You _ruined _it. You ruined everything!"

The furious original sped to the opposite side of the clearing, but Elena was already gone. Klaus spun on his heel, and found her standing over 100 feet away from him, with Stefan and Damon on the edge. "How…? Why am I not changing? I killed you; I killed a vampire; I killed a werewolf! I did everything they told me!" Klaus screamed to no one in particular as he punched the tree nearest to him.

"And you! How can you be so fast? If anything, you should be a vampire!" Klaus yelled at Elena, but she saw a flicker of shock across his face. "No…no, they said it wasn't possible. Sacrificial power? No, no—it's impossible!" Klaus whispered, and Elena wondered if the curse had taken away his sanity. He seemed to be more frazzled and psychotic than normal—but that was understandable, since the spell he'd been trying to break for over 1,000 years remained unbroken.

Suddenly, he was standing in front of Elena, and she could feel the anger and fury rolling off of him. His hand was grasping her throat so hard that she couldn't breathe, and she felt the world spinning around her as he growled at her. "You don't deserve to live. You destroyed everything I've wanted for over a millennia. I'm going to finish off the job that the curse should have accomplished 10 minutes ago—and then the damned Petrova line will be gone forever!"

Elena's eyes widened in fear, and she realized she didn't want to die. And she wasn't going to let him kill her after everything she'd been through—she wasn't going to waste John's sacrifice. Elena's fear turned into determination and she knew that she couldn't let the bastard kill her—she wouldn't.

As his hand tightened around her, intending to suffocate her, she reached up and grabbed his fist. She easily pulled his fingers from her throat, and shoved him to the ground. "_I _don't deserve to live? You've killed more people than you can count. You've destroyed thousands of lives, and don't even blink at their pain. _You_ don't deserve to get what you want. _You _don't deserve to live. And I'm sure as hell not going to prevent you from getting what you deserve after years of torturing innocent lives."

Elena's anger was escalating as she picked Klaus up and launched him into a tree across the lawn. "They're humans, Elena. They mean _nothing _to me," Klaus griped at the girl.

Grasping him tightly by his throat, she sped over and slammed him into the tree as he had done to her just seconds before. "They were _innocent people!_ And you destroyed their lives—just like you destroyed mine!" Elena screamed in his face as her vision took on a red hue. "I lost a friend! Jenna, John—they were the only family I had left! And _you_ got them killed! All to break some stupid curse that would let you kill even _more _people!"

Her anger blinded her to his sudden shove, and she found herself lying on the ground gasping for breath. She looked around for Klaus, and found the clearing completely empty. Suddenly, she heard Klaus's accent from behind her. "You're right. I'm the reason you lost your family—and I won't hesitate to do it again."

Elena spun towards the voice, and gasped as she found Klaus with Stefan in a choke-hold. Part of her noticed Damon's struggling body staked to the tree behind Klaus, but her focus was solely on the love of her life in her killer's hands. She took a step forward, and Klaus wrenched Stefan back further. "Take one more step and I rip his head off. You think you can take me down, _girl_? You're weak. And I'm a 1,000 year old vampire that could destroy every living thing in this forest in 10 minutes. So you're going to let me fix this curse, and _maybe_ I won't kill everyone you care about—starting with your boy-toy, here."

Elena quickly realized that she could lose another person she cared about. Thinking, she realized that taking the nice route of going with whatever her threatener said had never worked for her—so she decided to threaten Klaus, just as he had chosen to do to her. "Clearly, I'm not some _weak little girl_, Klaus, seeing as though I almost killed you without batting an eye less than two minutes ago. So let, Stefan go, and _maybe _I'll let you live."

Klaus's astonishment at her stubbornness made him pause for a moment—but it was just long enough for Elena to throw Stefan into the forest, grasp a large shard of wood she'd previously thrown, and ram it into Klaus's chest cavity.

"You missed," Klaus gasped through his pain, but his eyes grew in size as he saw a determined—and very Petrova-esque—expression flit across her face

"Don't worry—I won't again. You've caused so much pain, and I can't let you cause any more. Goodbye, Klaus."

And with those final words, Elena shoved her hand into his chest, ripping his heart out, and ending the original's life once and for all. Her eyes scanned the clearing, seeing all of the death and destruction surrounding her—the terror that she had caused simply by being born. All she could see was blood—her blood on Klaus's lips, John's blood on Klaus's hands, Klaus's blood on her hands—it all came back to Klaus. She _killed _Klaus.

She vaguely heard Damon's grunt in the background as he healed from the stake Stefan had removed earlier, Elena she couldn't respond. She couldn't move. She couldn't think. She couldn't sense anything around her. All she could do was feel; feel the loss of her friends and family, the loss of her innocence—of her sanity. The pain she was experiencing weighed on her so much that she fell to her knees under the pressure, tears rolling down her face and body shaking from the intense agony.

A pair of strong, loving hands slipped under her arms, leading her out of the forest and away from the bodies, but she couldn't stop seeing them—Jules, Maddox, her _father_, and Klaus, the man that she had just killed with her own hands. She was in shock—but it was so much more than that. The months of fear, pain, and sorrow had finally gotten to her, and as she was gently placed into the back seat of a car, black spots began to fill her vision—and she gladly accepted the darkness, hoping that unconsciousness would take away the pain.

It didn't.

* * *

Okay, so this is the darkest part of Elena's journey, so far. I know, I know-she's freaked out _a lot_ in the story, but I'm pretty sure this is the last time. And the biggest. But who can blame her? She just killed someone after she watched pretty much her entire family die, so I think I'd break down, too! And see, I wasn't lying about this update being longer than normal! It was almost 1,900 words, and then my note is really long, today (but you guys will get to that. HA. I make myself laugh-I don't read author's notes, either!). But anyways, I hope you guys understood what was going on, and how Elena was feeling. If not, I'd love to hear how I can fix it. And if you thought it was good, I'd love to hear! Feedback is love, people, so read and review!

-kiki :)

ps: Let's see. This week's episode gets a 7.5 in my opinion. Not much really seemed to happen (which makes sense, since it's a flashback episode), but it was still exciting to watch :) Elena and Matt's scene in the kitchen was adorable (and tear-jerking!) because she finally admitted what everyone already knew-she originally liked Stefan because he couldn't die like everyone else seemed to. ORIGINALLY. As in, that was the initial appeal, not the only reason she still loves him! And I thought Damon was on his game! The episode made me laugh more than normal, which was nice since it seems to never have enough comic relief! It was a good episode, and the twist with Alaric at the end was awesome! I totally didn't see that coming, and yet I _still _can't seem to trust Meredith (which is sad, because I loved her in the books!)

pps: I just read the most recent book-The Hunters: Moonsong. It was great, for anyone who wants something to read :) I mean, it wasn't L.J. Smith, but the ghost writer didn't do too shabby of a job! Oh, and I have a question for you all. If everybody knows that the book is written by a ghost writer, is it still a ghost writer? Questions I ponder...

ppss: OHMYGOD! I was watching the Paleyfest interview, and Julie Plec said that they were debating having an Elena flashback episode! Guys, this is big. I have been waiting for this for almost 3 years now! And it seems very plausible-I mean, COME ON! They're trying to bring Matt and Elena back together, they're rebuilding Wickery Bridge, and they keep having these moments where Elena remembers stuff about her mom and dad. It would fit _perfectly_, and it would make me sooooo happy! IF THEY DON'T DO THIS EPISODE, I'M GOING TO SCREAM!

ppsss: sorry this author's note is so long, but I get so pumped up about this show! :) oh, and to reiterate my above point, THEY'D BETTER DO A FLASHBACK EPISODE TO ELENA'S PAST! That is all. By, everybody :)


	36. Depression and Depths

Elena couldn't feel anything. She hadn't said much since they'd returned from the sacrifice, and as she watched Jenna's and John's coffins being lowered into the ground, the pain she had felt earlier disappeared. Stefan squeezed her hand, but she took no notice as she continued to stare at the coffins. Her friends surrounded her—Caroline, Bonnie, Ric, Damon, Jeremy, even Tyler had shown up—but she'd never felt more alone as she viewed the expansive record of deaths in the past two years. Her family's tombstones were adding up, one next to the other in an impenetrable wall of sorrow that threatened to crush her.

She wanted to turn everything off. Her emotions. Her commitments. Her life. Just take a break—a vacation, if you will—but seeing the tears glistening in Jeremy's eyes, she knew that there would be no break. Elena had to stay strong for her brother….she just didn't know how. When she wanted to crawl into a hole and die, how could she support someone else?

Her life seemed to be spiraling out of control. She lost the last two parental figures in her life, and she'd lost a part of herself at the sacrifice. Elena couldn't quite place when it happened—maybe when she killed Klaus, or maybe when Klaus killed her—but the miniscule part of her that was still the innocent, naive high school girl died in that forest. And now, no one even knew if she was alive. She didn't drink blood, but she had all of the powers a vampire had. But even those powers seemed to be amplified to an extent that Stefan and Damon couldn't comprehend; even _Klaus _hadn't understood it before she…killed him.

A few minutes after her family had been lowered into the ground, Elena stole away to think. Sitting on a cement bench under a grand oak tree, she watched as the rest of her posse filed away from the graves. Stefan walked over to Elena, sitting down and taking her into his arms. She said nothing. He said nothing. Instead, he just held her, knowing that no words could help the grieving girl.

The couple stayed like that for a while until Stefan brought his hand away to reach for his pocket. Elena backed away, watching intently as Stefan pulled out an envelope along with John's ring. She pulled in a sharp breath, and Stefan turned to meet her eyes.

"We found this in John's car," Stefan said gently, holding her hand tightly as he gave her a reassuring and sympathetic face, "I haven't read it, but I think you'll want to."

Elena took the envelope and ring out of Stefan's hands. Stefan slowly stood up, walking back towards the graves to meet up with Damon—who'd returned after realizing Stefan and Elena weren't with the group. As she stared at her name, elegantly scrolled onto the front of the envelope, she could only imagine what was in the letter. If John had time to write it, he'd known that he was walking to his death; part of her wanted to kill him again for getting himself killed, but part of her was grateful that he'd left her one final item of her father's. Of course, if that item was a letter condemning her for her involvement with vampires, she wasn't sure she'd appreciate the sentiments.

Her hands shook as she gently pulled the seal apart. Elena slowly tugged the letter out of its confines, and as she unfolded it she was faced with a page of emotions—and she wasn't sure she could handle it. But instead of pausing to think, she read the letter, silent tears already beginning to roll down her face.

_Elena,_

_It's no easy task being an ordinary parent to an extraordinary child. I failed in that task. And because of my prejudices, I failed you. I'm haunted by how things might have played out differently if I'd been more willing to hear your side of things. For me, it's the end. For you, a chance to grow old and someday do better with your own child than I did with mine. It's for that child that I give you my ring. I don't ask for your forgiveness, nor for you to forget. I ask only that you believe this. Whether you are now reading this as a human or as a vampire, I love you all the same. As I've always loved you and always will._

_- John_

Tears streamed down her face as she felt her heart break, yet again. The veil of darkness she'd thrust herself into after the sacrifice returned ten-fold. Every emotion that she had kept buried since the accident, every fear, came back and crushed her so much that it knocked the breath out of her. But surprisingly, the tears stopped. Instead of breaking down as she had in the forest, she simply shut down. It was as if she really had become a vampire and flipped the switch, and she no longer saw the graveyard or the Salvatore brothers—though she was sure that they had come to check on her. It was as if she was a living corpse—alive, but unthinking, unfeeling.

Elena had always kept her emotions hidden, comforting instead of informing others. Even when she was sobbing on the inside, she wore a mask of strength for the people she loved.

That Elena was dead.

* * *

Stefan and Damon tried breaking through to her over the following days. Jeremy came over to talk to her; Ric even made a concerted effort to help her out. But Elena simply sat on the window bench in Stefan's room all day, except at night when Stefan would hold her, praying that when he woke up she would be back to normal.

Nights slowly dragged into days, and it seemed as though Elena was never going to recover from the latest blow to her shattered confidence. The signs of her impending mental breakdown had shown for quite a while—after Aria died, after Peter arrived, the sacrifice—but no one had truly believed that she could fall so far. And so for days she sat in her catatonic state, responding to nothing and ignoring the outside world.

Finally, after days of waiting with no change in her demeanor, Stefan called in the big guns. "I'm worried. She hasn't talked in six days—hell, she hasn't moved from my room since the funeral!" Stefan fretted. After he'd found her unresponsive under the tree, he'd known what had happened. It had been too much; she'd snapped, the events of the year weighed down on her until she couldn't even respond to him. Of course, that had been almost a week ago—and she _still _wasn't doing anything. Both he and Damon had expected a few days of shock, but they'd been proved wrong.

Bonnie and Caroline had come over at Stefan's insistence, understanding his fears and his quest for advice. "Stefan, she's going to be fine. You just have to give her a few days—she'll get better," Caroline promised, but she could tell that Stefan was skeptical.

"It's been a few days, Caroline! I don't want to rush her, but the fact that she hasn't said a single word in a week scares me. I've never seen her like this," Stefan emphasized as his worry became more apparent.

"Stefan, do you know how long it took Elena to recover after her parents died?" Bonnie questioned, and Stefan shook his head. "One month. You've never had to go through this with her, but we have. She wouldn't even leave her room for over two weeks—and Jenna was doing the _exact _same thing as you are right now. But Elena is still Elena. She'll figure herself out, and in a week she'll be back to normal—well as normal as her life can be now."

Stefan's worry was shrinking, but Caroline quickly remedied that. "She's going to be okay, Stefan. We promise."

Although skepticism still stalked the back of his mind, Caroline and Bonnie had helped calm his frayed nerves. After watching Elena wilt for the past few days, both his and Damon's nerves were shot. There had been more than a few fights between the brothers, some with fists thrown, and some that involved screaming at each other like banshees. But they both realized that no matter how angry they got with each other, their emotions wouldn't fix anything.

So on they went, trying day after day to get Elena to respond, to bring her out of herself and back into the world—not even thinking about the amount of school she'd missed, though they knew she'd freak when she 'woke up' again.

Finally, over a week after the funeral, Elena began her long trek back to the real world. While checking up on her one afternoon like he had been every day, he noticed a hint of emotion in her eyes—not much, but more than he'd seen since the sacrifice. Hours later, he returned to go to sleep, only to find Elena already tucked in bed resting quietly. To say that was a shock to Stefan would be an understatement—Elena hadn't gone to bed alone since the funeral.

Crawling into bed with her, he pulled her limb body into his arms as he ran his fingers through her hair, hoping that she would be okay when they woke up—just like he had wished every night for the past week.

Kissing the crown of her head, he muttered, "Please, Elena. Please come back to me. I know that you're scared, and I know that you're hurting—but I _need_ you to come back, Elena…"

He knew that she couldn't hear him—she hadn't heard him any other time he'd tried to get through to her. But as he sat musing to himself, he almost fell off of the bed when he felt tears spreading across his shirt and heard a breathy response to his quiet plea.

"I can't…"

Stefan's head snapped to Elena so quickly he thought he'd broken his neck, but sure enough, Elena was laying on his chest as tears rolled down her face. Her breath came in shallow pants, and she slowly turned her head towards Stefan's to show him how the inner turmoil she was experiencing was slowly driving her insane.

"I can't feel this way, Stefan," Elena hiccupped as she fell into wracking sobs that shook her entire body. Stefan held her as she cried her heart out, and whispered quiet words of comfort into her ear. He sensed Damon's presence as soon as his brother entered the room after hear Elena's sobs, and Damon met his brother's eyes with a look of understanding. Stefan watched as his brother slowly walked out of the room, giving Elena room to breathe and let out her feelings, but spared a quick glance back on the sobbing girl.

None of them were going to get much sleep tonight.

* * *

The next morning, Stefan woke up to empty arms. Elena had disappeared from the bed, but to his relief she wasn't at her normal perch on the window seat. Of course, after her breakdown that night, he figured she'd want to go downstairs for the first time in over a week and a half. Stefan quickly descended the stairs, he found Damon lounging on the couch in the parlor.

"Where is she?" Stefan inquired-worried about her yet again.

Damon nodded his head in the direction of the patio, and replied. "She's been out there for two hours, but I figured you'd be able to talk to her a hell of a lot better than I would."

Stefan glanced out the window as Damon had said and saw Elena sitting on the patio looking off in to the distant forest. Worried that she'd drawn back into herself again and simply changed environments, he swiftly walked out to meet her, taking a seat next to her on the bench and firmly grasping her hand to get her attention. He could tell that she was still in pain, but her breakthrough last night had finally brought her back—and she was healing quickly from the pain that continually sliced through her.

"You're not leaving me again, are you?" Stefan asked, half-jokingly.

"Nope. I think my vacation in la-la land was long enough for now," Elena chuckled solemnly in response, gifting him with a slight smile that she hadn't shown in weeks. As soon as he'd heard her response, he knew that she was getting better—not fixed, but better. At least she seemed to have a sense of humor after everything she'd been through.

Stefan wrapped his arms around her, breathing quietly as she relaxed onto his chest. Resting his head on top of hers, he placed a kiss on the crown of her head before mumbling, "I thought I'd lost you again, Elena. When I watched Peter take you away from me, I thought I'd never see you again. And then I had to watch Klaus kill you, and I thought I'd lost you forever. So the fact that you're sitting here with me... I wouldn't give that up for the world."

Elena could hear the sorrow in his voice, and the pain that he'd been feeling over her mental breakdown shined through his emotional speech. She'd seen the relief in his eyes the second she 'reawakened'—she hadn't shared it, but she'd seen it through her tears—and she knew how worried he'd been the past few days. After a long, solemn pause, she whispered, "I'm sorry Stefan…for what I've put you through, for what I've made you do for me and give up for me. I just… I couldn't face the world again knowing that everyone I ever looked up to, everyone that I've relied on for my entire life, was dead…and that it was all because of me. Because of who I am, who I was born to be. I just couldn't do it anymore."

Gently lifting her away from him, Stefan turned Elena so that their eyes met. "It is _not _your fault, Elena," he assured her as he watched Elena's eyes glisten with unshed tears, "Jenna and John wouldn't want you to blame yourself for their deaths. They were part of a world that was so much stronger than them, and they didn't make it. _You did._ You didn't choose to be the doppelganger, Elena. You just took what life threw at you, and you still managed to come out alive on the other side. You survived. Just because they didn't doesn't make it your fault."

A single tear rolled down Elena's cheek as the two wrapped their arms around each other, and for the first time in over a month she couldn't feel an a weight on her. There was no sense of impending doom, no psychotic vampires to kill or hybrids to eliminate. And while she still felt the pain of Jenna's and John's untimely deaths, Stefan had known exactly what to say to her to make her feel better about her life. For the first time in over a year, she felt peaceful.

She never wanted to lose that feeling.

* * *

Hey everybody :) First of all, please don't kill me! I know I haven't updated in a while, but I've been so busy with school it's not even funny anymore. AP tests, finals, papers, presentations-it's freaking insane! Plus, I have three AP tests in the next two weeks that are scaring me. But after that, I'm home free for my senior year and done with school (because I have an early case of senioritis. I need to see a doctor about it)! But I made this chapter over twice as long as normal to hopefully make up for it :} I hope you enjoyed it, and I can confidently say that we are getting out of Elena's emotional breakdowns, and I'm expecting some crazy, kick-ass action in the next couple of chapters! But we'll see :) I know you're probably mad at me for not updating, but feedback is love, people! So read and review, and hopefully I'll be able to update sooner!

-kiki :)

ps: I'm so excited about the finale tomorrow that I can barely think straight. No joke, I'm so pumped I haven't shut up about it for the past 6 weeks! But I have an APUSH exam on Friday, and I'm hoping that I can concentrate on that (because if I don't watch it so that I don't freak about it during the test, I'll freak about _not _seeing during the test. It's a lose-lose situation-or a win-win. I'm not really sure). And all of the spoilers that I've been reading haven't helped. I saw the producer's preview with Julie Plec, and the sad score song came on at the end. You know, the when Elena was getting killed by Klaus in last season's finale (I mean, penultimate episode), and the one that's on pretty much every time something sad happens between Stefan and Elena. Meaning that I'm going to be in tears tomorrow night. I just know it, because I was in tears watching the freaking 2 minute long preview. I'm screwed. Buuuuut, on the up side: THREE SEASONS OF WAITING AND I FINALLY GET FLASHBACKS WITH ELENA! I'M SO EXCITED!


	37. Facing the Real World

Ohmygosh! You guys are the best! We've reached the 100 review mark, and I am ecstatic! I never even thought this story would get any reviews since I was such a newbie, but your comments and critiques have made everything so much better! Anyways, I may have been a crappy updater lately, but here's some awesome news... SCHOOL IS OUT! Which means I'm a senior, and I'm done with my junior year classes (which are infinitely more difficult than the classes I'll have this year!) so I can update more often! Granted, my summer is so packed that I barely have any time, but at least I have the weekends to write and update now :) So hopefully we'll get back into that groove that I had before that all went to hell last fall when I started my junior year, and you'll get new chapters in a more timely manner! To start that sentiment off on a good foot, here's the next chapter!

* * *

A few minutes later, Stefan and Elena disentangled themselves and walked back to the house hand-in-hand. Damon was still sitting on the couch nursing his bourbon as the couple walked through the door, and immediately saw Elena's change in demeanor. Her previous depression seemed to have disappeared, giving way to a light-hearted, reflective mood.

"You seem…happy," Damon observed, thankful when Elena threw him a small smile. She seemed to be transitioning back to the real-world fairly quickly after her traumatic experiences. "So, are you two actually planning to go to school any time this week?"

A puzzled look quickly came over Elena's face, and Stefan glared at his brother as Elena questioned Damon's offhand comment. "What do you mean? It's Saturday, Damon."

Damon and Stefan both looked at each other as they realized the extent of Elena's cluelessness. "Not exactly…" Damon started, thankful when Stefan offered to finish his thought.

"Elena, its Thursday—not Saturday," Stefan tried to explain calmly, but Elena's eyes still grew out of shock.

"Wh-what?" she stuttered, "No… no, no, no—It's Saturday, Stefan! I've only been out for a day!"

"You were out for almost two weeks, Elena."

"Two weeks?" Elena screeched as she began to take gasping breaths of air. "I couldn't have missed that much school! I'm going get expelled!" she continued, more to convince herself than the brothers—who were just as worried as ever that it was going to be too much for the currently fragile girl. They were pleasantly surprised, however, when her composure slowly began to return.

"How in the world did they let me get away with this? I've already missed at least 6 days this semester alone!"

"What do you mean, Elena? You've been at home with pneumonia for the past two weeks," Damon explained sarcastically, continuing when she was still confused. "Elena, you know three vampires that can easily compel someone into letting your attendance slide, not including the history teacher you've got on the inside. You even managed to get all of your makeup work done while you were sick—but you _did _have some great tutors."

"You guys really did all of that for me?" Elena questioned appreciatively.

"Of course. We figured you'd have enough trouble reassimilating to school life without ten tons of homework, so we got everything done and turned in for you," Stefan explained. Elena smiled, and thanked them, rushing upstairs to get ready after realizing that there was only 1 hour until school. Both brothers let out a sigh, knowing that they'd gotten Elena through the hardest news of the day so far.

They just hoped it would stay that way.

* * *

"She totally ate me out today, Stefan! I told her I'd been sick, but she didn't care!" Elena griped as the two walked down the hallway. She'd managed to survive three classes without getting hassled, but her math teacher had given her trouble about missing school and she had to let out her frustration. Heading to her locker during class change, Stefan listened patiently and responded when she needed a response—knowing that she just needed someone to hear her.

"I'm sure Ms. King just wanted to show the seniors that she wouldn't put up with senioritis, Elena. Didn't you say she liked you last time you were here?" Stefan grinned, knowing that Elena was finding herself again.

Elena glared at the hall as they walked towards Elena's locker. "Yeah, but it seems like she's getting angry just to get angry!" Elena complained as she put the combination into her lock, failing and redialing. "Luisa hasn't even showed up to class once in the past 3 months, and yet she gets mad at me when I have a perfectly reasonable excuse!"

Elena continued to gripe and tug on her lock. "What the hell is wrong with this—"

Suddenly, Elena yanked her arm back, taking the entire lock with her. Holding the lock up between her and Stefan's faces, the couple froze in shock for a few seconds. Sucking in a deep breath, she hurried to try and replace the lock to no avail. "Stefan, help me!" she whispered frantically, and he immediately jumped into action. Thinking she would blow up when the lock didn't slip easily back into place, Stefan tried to screw the lock back on.

Giving up, Elena spun on her heel to lean against the locker, attempting to look like a lounging student, not one that had just broken a school locker in a moment of extreme strength. Stefan was trying to read her face, but he couldn't until she became very serious—but it was an act. Trying to refrain from laughing like a hyena, Elena whispered, "On three, we walk away and act like this never happened, okay?" Stefan nodded, and Elena began. "One… two… three!"

And with that, the two nearly sprinted down the hallway, holding in laughs until they got around the corner. Pushing open the doors, Elena and Stefan nearly fell on the ground laughing.

"Do you think anyone saw?" Elena asked between her giggles, finally feeling happy after her months of torment.

"I don't know how they couldn't! We looked like maniacs!" Stefan laughed, enjoying the happiness rolling off of Elena. The mood-swings she'd been having since the sacrifice had been confusing, but sometimes she got attitudes like this, making them all worth it. She hadn't been happy for a long time, so any bit of joy made the anger feel like it wasn't for nothing.

After the two calmed down a minute later, the joy seemed to disapparate from the area as the couple took on a more subdued tone. "You know, we're going to have to figure out what's going on with you soon, right?"

Elena looked down at the ground, nodding. "I know. But I just need one day. Okay? Just one day of normalcy without originals, or sacrifices or anything like that."

Hours after the locker incident, Elena and Stefan returned to the boarding house. Stefan had offered to take her home, but she claimed that she felt safer wherever he was. Exhausted after her first day back to school after 2 weeks, Elena went upstairs and almost immediately fell asleep.

Stefan walked upstairs to find Elena fast asleep in bed and pulled back the covers to get in. But before he did, he realized that there was only one person that could help them get the information they needed to figure out what was happening with Elena. He sped downstairs to the basement cell, deciding that Elena's one day of relaxation was over and that they needed information fast.

He was well-known for respecting Elena's decisions. And he did, but Elena was no longer thinking clearly enough to realize how desperately she needed help.

The only person that could help them was in the house, killed by that same girl's strength.

That person was Elijah.

As Stefan leaned over Elijah's body, he quickly weighed the pros and cons of reviving him. His decision was made, and he firmly grasped the dagger in Elijah's chest as he yanked it out with every ounce of strength he possessed.

Then, it was time to wait.

* * *

Okay, so for the most part this was a "fluffy", "set-up" chapter. You got to see Elena have a bit of fun (if that's what you'd call vandalism), and then you saw the return of ELIJAH (kind of...)! Anyways, like I said, thanks so much for following me to 100 reviews! I hope I can get more, because I love hearing your thoughts and feelings about the chapters, and about the show's new episodes (more on that at the end...). Oh, and I was serious about trying to keep a legitimate update schedule now that I've got more time! Anyways, I hope you liked the chapter, and I can't wait to hear what you guys have to say :) remember, people! Feedback is love, so read and review!

-kiki :)

ps: I freaking LOVED the finale. Best episode ever. (okay, I may be a bit biased since everything that happened I've been wanting to happen since before the show even started...) But my favorite part could be summed up into the last 10 minutes. Seriously? Why the hell does this show have to make me cry so much? I hate it! Just kidding. I'm going to die when the show finally ends in 56 years. Because it deserves SO MANY more seasons. But whatever, _**SPOILER**** ALERT!**_The underwater scene? GORGEOUS. BREATHTAKING. THIS SHOW DESERVES AN OSCAR. Or Emmy, or whatever awards TV shows get. I'm so out of touch. Oh, and Damon's reaction to Elena/Ric dying? Perfect. Jeremy's reaction? Amazing. Stefan's guilty conscious? Awesome and SOOO in character. Good lord, I can watch the last freaking part and cry EVERY TIME. And I do. At least 50 times I've watched it, and I cry every single time without fail. WHY DOES EVERYONE HATE THE CW SO MUCH? THIS SHOW IS SO GOOD!


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